Casual Observers
by Brown Eyes Parker
Summary: Josh & Maya from the rest of the character's point of view. Rated: K , Joshaya.
1. Morgan Matthews

**Casual Observers: Teasing Older Sisters. . .**

 **A Josh & Maya Story**

 **By Brown Eyes Parker**

 **Rated: K+**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, literally, I own nothing.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **I don't even know what this is. . . really; it just came to me and wouldn't let me go until I wrote it. Sometimes a girl has just got to go with her muse.**

 **.**

"She must be pretty special, aye Joshie?" Morgan Matthews-Jones asked as she wrapped the telephone cord around her finger and chewed on a piece of ice.

"What? I didn't say anything!" Josh Matthews quickly replied.

"You didn't have to!" Morgan answered. "I could hear it in your voice; you sounded like Cory did whenever he was even _thinking_ about Topanga. _So, spill!_ Who is she?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone and for a second, Morgan thought Josh had hung up for her. But then she heard him release a deep breath and sigh.

"She's no one."

"Really? She doesn't sound like she's _no one_ ," Morgan teased. "Is she in your class, Joshie? Or is she an older woman? I know guys your age really could go for a college-aged woman because all the girls your age are immature."

"Stop fishing Morgan!" Josh pleaded. _"Please!"_

"Fine!" Morgan smirked and took a sip of her Coke. "Does Cory know about her? Does _Eric_? Because fair is fair, little brother. If _they_ know about it then I want to too!"

"Like I would tell _Eric_ about the girl I have a crush on!"

"You said _have_!"

"I meant _if_ ," Josh quickly corrected herself. " _If_ I had a crush on a girl, which I don't, Eric would be the last person to know about it."

"Mmmh, you've got a point there. But I still think there is somebody. Mom told me that you go to New York City an awful lot that you have ever since Christmas. Is our mystery girl located there by any chance?" Morgan pried.

"Nooooo!' Josh answered quickly. "I like to see Cory and Topanga and the kids."

"Hah! _Kids!_ Need I remind you that you and Riley are only three years apart?" Morgan asked. "So, it's really about visiting Cory and Topanga then and not a girl? Mom says Riley has a really cute best friend. . ."

"She's cute alright," Josh admitted dolefully. "But she's _three_ years younger than me. I'm going into college this year for crying out loud! She's just starting _high school_."

"Me doth think the lady protests too much!" Morgan said in her best British accent.

"I'm _not_ protesting anything! She's too young for me!"

"But you never said that you didn't like her," Morgan pointed out. "In my opinion that means something."

"I don't like here, okay!? Will you _please_ just get off it now?"

"Oh, I'll get off it!" Morgan assured him, not telling him that she and her husband were going to take a trip to the United States _very_ soon so she could see this young girl for herself.

She hadn't been home since she had gotten married; she was _due_ for a visit. And if all else failed, she could always use the excuse that she wanted to see Riley and Auggie again.

 **.**

"Hey sis!" Cory said as he threw open the door and welcomed her with a huge hug.

"Hi Cor," Morgan answered, returning his hug and patting him on the back.

"Where's Mark?" Cory asked as he assured her into the apartment and looked around before closing the door behind him.

"He's paying the cab driver," Morgan replied as she took her denim jacket off. "Where's Topanga and the kids?"

"Auggie's down the hall with his friend Ava, Riley's at Topanga's new bakery with her friend Maya and Topanga had to stay at work late to finish up some research she's doing on a case. They'll all be home in time to go out to dinner with you and Mark."

Morgan smiled. "And is Josh coming tonight too?"

"Yes," Cory answered. "He should be here soon, actually."

"Does he know I'm going to be here?"

"Nope," Cory assured her. "You asked me to keep it a secret and I did, just like I promised! By the way, why _didn't_ you want Josh to know you were coming?"

"Well, you probably already know this but our little brother likes a girl, Cor," Morgan told him.

Cory laughed. "I know _that_ , I don't see how it constitutes a trip all the way from Ireland though. I'm sure you'll meet her someday."

"He was _lying_ about it!" Morgan said. "Or he is in total denial! So, I came here to do some investigating."

Cory raised an eyebrow. "Morgan, do you have any idea who this girl actually is?"

On cue, Maya and Riley sauntered in the apartment with their arms interlocked, Mark not far behind them, rolling his and Morgan's suitcase along.

"Hiiii Auntie Morgan!" Riley sang, letting go of Maya and flinging her arms around her. "It's been a while! I'm so glad you're here! This is Maya, I've told you a lot about her. Remember?"

Morgan grinned. "Oh you aren't the only one!"

"What!?" Riley and Maya asked together.

"Morgan, I'm sure you and Mark must be tired after your flight," Cory said quickly. "Why don't you guys go take a nap and I'll wake you up when Josh gets here?"

"We're not tired," Morgan answered, glancing at Mark. "Right honey?"

"That's right mo shíorghrá," Mark agreed in his gentle Irish accent, coming over to her and wrapping his arms around her. "We're not tired _at all_. We slept on the plane, Cory. Give us a Coke and we'll be good to go!"

"But. . . but. . ." Cory stuttered, looking hopelessly between Maya and Morgan before shrugging. "Okay, Coke it is! Morgan, don't say _anything!_ "

"Like what?" Morgan asked innocently.

"Um, I dunno," Cory replied. "Why don't you come with me and we'll discuss it in the kitchen?"

"I'd much rather stay here with my niece and her friend, if you don't mind."

Cory cleared his throat nervously and laughed. "Um, okay. . . if that's what you _really_ want."

"Yes, that's what I _really_ want." Morgan smirked. "You and I will have plenty of time to catch up later."

During their whole exchange, Maya and Riley were just staring at them in confusion and then the door opened again and they were even more confused.

"Morgan!" Josh said. "What are _you_ doing here!?"

Morgan smirked again as she turned around. "I just came to see Riley and Auggie. It's been a while. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Cory invited me to go to Chinatown with him and the rest of the family tonight."

"Hah, isn't that funny?" Cory said as he backed up. "Does anybody want that Coke now?"

"Cory, did you know she was coming?" Josh asked, feeling the slightest bit betrayed while Morgan looked on, delighted at the chaos she had caused.

"Yes!" Cory answered. "But she told me not to tell you!"

Josh looked at Morgan, disbelief in his eyes. _"Why!?"_

"I have my reasons Josh," Morgan said. "If you knew I was coming, would you have still made the trip into the city to have dinner with the family tonight?"

For the briefest of moments, Josh sought out Maya and then ducked his head, his ears turning red. Morgan had the slightest feeling she should have felt insulted that her younger brother wouldn't have come all the way to New York to see her especially.

But Morgan was smiling at this little tidbit of information she had just gleaned. Her brother had it _bad_ despite their three year age difference and if Maya's face was anything to go by, she was just as much in love with him as he was with her.

They were only a few minutes in and the trip was already a success.

Morgan beamed. "Aren't you going to say hello to Riley and _Maya_?"

Riley beamed and threw her arms around him. "Hello Uncle Josh!" she sang.

"Hi Riles," Josh answered returning her hug then he turned to Maya and just looked at her as he rubbed the back of his neck He cleared his throat a few times and fidgeted with the hem of his sweatshirt. "Hello Maya."

"Hey Josh," Maya replied just as softly, looking at the carpet instead of him.

"Oh come on guys, you can do better than that!" Morgan interjected. "Give her a hug too Josh!"

"You really don't have to!" Maya said quickly.

"Yeah Morgan, he really doesn't have to!" Cory echoed, shooting her one of his sternest looks. "Riley, Maya. . . why don't you go and get Ava? Topanga should be home soon and then we're going to go and get Chinese food for dinner."

"Okay daddy!" Riley said obediently as she grabbed Maya's hand and skipped to the door.

"Josh, why don't you go with them?" Morgan suggested.

"Now that is an excellent idea!" Cory said, brightening slightly. "Josh, why don't you go with them so I can have a little chat with Morgan?"

"Or maybe you can stay here!" Morgan replied because she knew what Cory was going to talk to her about. Somewhere along the line _he_ had become the mature one and she knew a scolding was inevitable.

"I think you should go with them Josh," Cory prompted the younger boy.

"We're gone, we're gone!" Riley said ushering Maya and Josh out of the door after she had caught the look on her father's face.

"Morgan!" Cory said as soon as they were out the door.

"I know, I know. I got a little carried away!"

"A _little_? You do realize that they're still in school; they're way too _young_ to be in any sort of relationship right now! Not only that, you embarrassed them!"

"I did not embarrass them!" Morgan protested. "And besides that, weren't you like a fetus when you and Topanga got together?"

"No! Besides, Topanga and I don't have _anything_ to do with Josh and Maya. They're different people; they have different stories than we do. Not everyone is going to turn out like the two of us did."

"You're right," Morgan agreed. "Not everybody _is_ going to turn out the way you and Topanga did. But that doesn't mean the rest of us can't get pretty close. Mark my words Cor, the two of them _will_ get married one day. You'll see."

"Don't you think _I_ know that? I know true love better than anyone when I see it!" Cory replied. "All I'm saying is that you need to give them a little time. Don't rush them; it'll happen when they're both ready for it to happen. Just relax and enjoy your visit without making things difficult for them."

And even though it was hard for her, Morgan agreed to his request because she knew her older brother was right. Things would happen when they were supposed to, not any sooner than that. She summoned up the patience to wait for it and to resist the urge to tease both Josh and Maya mercilessly while she was there.

 **.**

 _Something_ finally happened a few years later.

It was close to Riley and Maya's senior prom when she got an excited call from her niece (she had bribed her to keep her informed on all things Josh & Maya related, since Cory wouldn't).

"Maya asked Josh to prom and Josh said yes!" Riley said all in one breath, a giggle not far behind her announcement.

"Really!?" Morgan asked, she waited for a few minutes for Riley to answer her and realized the girl was probably nodding her head vigorously instead of actually talking. "Use your words Riles, I can't actually see you, you know."

"Yes, _really_!" Riley replied. "Neither of us thought he'd really say yes but he did! He even called me to ask what Maya's favorite flowers were so he could have the florist make her a corsage out of them!"

"Of course he did! When the Matthews boys get it bad, they really go all out!" Morgan answered. "Well, except for Eric. . . we're not sure he's ever really fallen in love with anyone, ever. But when he does, he'll get it back and he'll go all out. He might even start to act _normal_!"

Riley giggled, on anyone else it would have annoyed Morgan but her niece always managed to make annoying cute.

"Daddy says that it'll take a very special girl to get Eric," Riley confided in a conspiratorial whisper.

"That is true," Morgan agreed. "But back to the subject hand. I hope somebody asked _you_ to prom."

"Yeah, Lucas did."

"So, you're back on again then?" Morgan asked.

Riley sighed. "Nope. Not yet, we're just going as friends. But maybe something will happen on prom night? I dunno I'll let you know _everything_ that happens though!"

"You better! And not just about Josh and Maya, okay? I want to know what happens with you and Lucas too."

"I promise!" Riley said. "I should go though. It's late here and I really shouldn't be on the phone because tomorrow is a school day. I'll talk to you later Aunt Morgan."

"Talk to you later, Sunshine," Morgan answered.

Riley called her as soon as prom was over, she gave very strong details about the whole evening, Morgan felt like she had been there. She was happy when she reported that her and Lucas had gotten back together during the last slow song of the night, she shared Riley's hope it would stick this time. She was disappointed when she told her that Josh and Maya had still only parted as friends when the evening was over.

But they were all going to the same college when fall rolled around, maybe when they were both college students it would be different and Josh was staying around New York for the summer. Anything was possible.

Riley hung up with her usual promise to keep Morgan updated.

 **.**

When Josh and Maya had their first kiss, Morgan was actually around to witness it. The New Year had officially begun and everybody was exchanging lip locks to celebrate. Maya and Josh were the odd ones out, the only uncoupled couple at the party. So, it was only reasonable they shared a New Year's kiss with _each other_.

Except theirs lasted longer than everybody else's had, they only stopped when the usually sweet Auggie told them they needed to get a room. They broke apart, their cheeks flushed red as they avoided each other's eyes while most of the family laughed and poured another round of champagne to toast 2020. 

Riley rescued her best friend, whisking her off to the kitchen while Josh disappeared, not to be seen again that night.

Morgan exchanged looks with Cory and she knew what he was thinking.

Something was going to have to be done about the two of them for once and for all.

 **.**

"Operation: Kid Brother was a success," Cory told her a few weeks later. "I didn't think it would work but it worked!"

"They're together!?" Morgan double-checked.

"Yes Morgan, they're together," Cory answered.

"Told you so!" Morgan crowed. "How could you ever doubt me!?"

"I never doubted you!" Cory retorted.

"Oh? You _just_ said you didn't think it would work!"

"Not because it was your plan! I doubted it because it was _Josh and Maya_! You weren't here as much as I was the last few years; the two of them are the most stubborn people in the world!"

"Even more stubborn than Riley and Lucas?" Morgan asked skeptically.

"Yeah. The two of them were just worried about ruining their friendship and losing each other because of it. Which was _very_ prudent on their part, Josh and Maya are a completely different story!"

"Yeah," Morgan agreed. "I know. Seriously, _'she's three years younger than me'_ , what sort of excuse is _that_!? It wasn't even a good one! Any idiot could see right through it! If he really wanted to keep it a secret, he should have at least said that he didn't like her."

" _I know!"_ Cory answered. "I mean even _Eric_ knew what was going on!"

Morgan laughed, she would have loved to be there when Eric and Cory had had _that_ conversation, she was pretty sure it had been hilarious.

"So, do you think we'll be dancing at their wedding anytime soon?" She asked when her hysterics had finally died down.

"One can only hope they won't need our help with _that_!" Cory answered.

 **.**

"I'm so glad we're going to be sisters," Morgan told Maya a year later as she watched Katy Hunter adjust her daughter's veil.

"Yeah," Topanga said, smiling at her. "Welcome to the family, Maya!"

"I am _not_ calling you _aunt_!" Riley piped in, dressed in her maid of honor dress. "But yeah, welcome to the family all the same."

Maya smiled at them all, radiant in all her bridal beauty. "Thank you."

"We better go to our seats," Topanga told Morgan.

"Right!" Morgan said, going over to Riley and Maya to give them both kisses on the cheek. "We'll see you all in a little while!"

When they were seated in the front pew with Mark and the rest of their family and the groom and his groomsmen had all lined up at the end of the church, Morgan found Josh and smirked at him.

" _I told you so!"_ She mouthed.

Josh shook his head and smiled at her.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note II:**

 **So, this is going to be a series, "Josh & Maya: From Everybody Else's POV". . . except that isn't the title. I hope you'll stick around for the series. In the meantime, I hope you will tell me what you thought of this story. Morgan's thoughts are NO small feat because we don't know how 20-something Morgan turned out yet and I hear she won't be on the show until the spring, at least. Anyways, I am looking forward to hearing from you!**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Love,**

 **Holly, 8/3/2015_**


	2. Cory Matthews

**Casual Observers: . . . And Perceptive Older Brothers**

 **A Josh & Maya Story**

 **Brown Eyes Parker**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Rated: K+**

 **.**

 **Chapter 2**

 _. . . And Perceptive Older Brothers_

Cory Matthews knew from the very first moment that his younger brother Joshua met Maya Hart when they were five and eight that something special was going to happen. The way Josh's eyes lit up when the girl who was more hair than person walked in the room, the way she looked at him like he was a Disney prince.

He wasn't the smartest person in the world but if there was one thing he was an expert on it was _love_ , he could recognize the signs before anybody else could. And even though many people would call it foolish, his young charge and little brother had fallen in love that sunny Saturday afternoon in June.

Of course it would take them a while to realize it but that was just fine, they were children after all. They had their whole lives ahead of them to figure things out.

One day during their visit, he and Topanga walked in on the two of them dancing to Disney CDs. Maya was balancing on a pair of Amy's discarded high heels. Josh was wearing one of Allan's old suit coat and holding her up so she wouldn't fall down while they did their very best to dance to _Can You Feel the Love Tonight._

Topanga awed softly and gave Cory a look that said _isn't that one of the most precious things that you have_ EVER _seen?!_

And Cory knew that she knew too.

 **.**

The next summer, Josh stayed with them while their parents went back to Europe for some much needed alone time.

Maya was there too. Fresh out of her own mother and father's, she had become withdrawn and sullen. Not even Riley and her infectious nature could draw her out, so Cory didn't have much hope for Josh either even though the pair had been inseparable the year before.

One night, after one of his tutoring sessions with the girl on the ground level, he walked in and saw the two of them sitting together on the floor. Josh was holding Maya's hand and rubbing circles in her tiny knuckles while he whispered something in her ear. The smile that had been missing from her face for such a long time suddenly reappeared and then they hugged each other.

Cory went inside then and threw his briefcase down on the couch. Josh looked up at him and gave him a gap-toothed smile.

"Look," he said, proud of himself. "I found Maya's smile!"

"I can see that!" Cory answered, kneeling down and grinning at the both of them. "And I'm so glad you did, we were all getting worried that it would never come back!"

 **.**

They were all at Morgan's wedding in Philadelphia; they had brought 10-year-old Maya along with them to keep Riley company for the weekend. But like usual, her and Josh had gravitated to each other.

Currently, Cory was watching the young pair spin around on the dance floor to _Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me_. Maya was barefoot and her plastic daisy crown was lopsided on her golden curls, her white sparkly dress glittered in the white lights of the dance floor while it swished around her knees. Josh was barefoot too, his emerald green bowtie was hanging untied around his shoulders while he whirled her around and around, dipping her over the crook of his elbow like he had seen another couple do earlier that night when he pulled her up again, she laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist while he held onto her a little more securely.

The moment was interrupted when Topanga came up to him, looking stunning in her figure-flattering, satin emerald bridesmaid dress. "You know, if my hunch is correct, you'll have _years_ to watch Josh and Maya. Why don't you take a break and come dance with me?" she whispered.

He was more than happy to join his youngest brother and Maya on the dance floor when Topanga put it _that_ way.

 **.**

They didn't meet again until she was 14 and Josh was on the edge of 17.

Cory wasn't so excited to see Shawn again that he _didn't_ notice the exchange between them. It was more awkward than anything, which was usually the case with two teenagers who liked each other.

Maya hugged him and muttered something. Josh smiled and told her that he wasn't her uncle, when he pulled away; he looked her over and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Wow! You grew up gorgeous!" He said before walking away.

Maya's gaze followed him, her face brighter than any Christmas tree, there was a spark of something in her eyes but Cory knew she wouldn't put a name to it yet because she had given up on _hope_ a very, very long time ago.

 **.**

"You probably already know this but our little brother likes a girl, Cor!" Morgan announced like it was some sort of thing Cory had never thought of before.

Cory laughed. "I know that, I don't see how it constitutes a trip all the way from Ireland though. I'm sure you'll meet her someday."

"He was lying about it!" Morgan said. "Or he is in total denial! So, I came here to do some investigating."

Cory raised an eyebrow, knowing he just had to protect Josh and Maya at _all_ costs. "Morgan, do you have any idea who this girl actually is?"

On cue, Maya and Riley sauntered in the apartment with their arms interlocked, his brother-in-law Mark wasn't far behind them, rolling his and Morgan's suitcase along. Cory could tell from the look in Morgan's eyes that the last piece of the puzzle had finally fallen into place.

Even though Cory was panicking on the inside, he kept calm and collected on the outside; being the mature adult he usually was when it came to his students as he tried to distract his sister with soda or at least a nap.

Much to his dismay, both Morgan and Mark refused to take naps until Josh came. He was trying to persuade his sister to come to the kitchen with him when their baby brother came through the door.

Cory was almost in full blown panic mode before he quickly defused the situation and sent Josh, Maya and Riley down the hall to pick up Auggie from Ava's. When they were finally gone, he set in on giving Morgan a talking to.

Really! As much as he knew someday in the future Josh and Maya would be getting together, now really wasn't the time or place for it to happen. Their age difference alone could get Josh into so much trouble. He was _shocked_ Morgan wasn't taking this into consideration. But instead of giving her the litany that was flowing through his head, he told her that he _knew_ true love when he saw it and requested that she just relax and enjoy their visit.

Thankfully, she took what he said into consideration and left the two of them alone for the duration of her stay in New York even though he knew she was more than tempted to tease them both mercilessly the whole entire time.

And as much as he loved Morgan, he was happy when she was on a flight back to Ireland.

Crisis averted.

Until somebody else in their family realized what was going on between them and honestly, he was surprised it hadn't happened _sooner_.

 **.**

Amy laughed but not unkindly. "You think we don't know what's going on, Cor? We dealt with you and Topanga long enough to _exactly_ what's going on! You're not concerned about it, are you?"

"No," Cory answered. "They're both handling it really well. Josh isn't doing anything that would get him into trouble but I just thought you should know what was happening. I didn't want you to think I was keeping things from you. . . and Morgan knows now, I guess it'll be a matter of time before everybody else in the family finds out."

"We trust you Cor," Any told him. "I'm sure you're keeping Josh in check and that you won't let anything happen. But I already knew I knew the second that Maya Hart walked through the door something was going to happen between the two of them. He looked at her like she was a Disney princess or something. He had that same look when we came to New York for Christmas last year and it gets goofier every single time he comes home from visiting you guys. He has it bad, doesn't he?"

"I think he does," Cory replied. "Although he would _never_ admit it. She does too but she has no problem admitting it."

"Well, at least she feels the same way," Amy said. "That's the least I could ask for."

 **.**

"Maya and Josh!" Eric said one day over root beer floats and Goldfish crackers with Auggie.

Cory looked a little surprised. "How long have you known?"

"Um, I dunno. Forever? How could you _not_ have known?" Eric replied.

"Eric, I've _always_ known!" Cory answered, shaking his head. "Ever since we first brought Maya to Philly for the summer."

"I knew when they danced at Morgan's wedding," Eric told him. "Maybe. They were so young then, I think it could have just been wishful thinking."

"Did you know all those times you came for a visit?"

"When Josh would ask me how Maya was when I would talk to him after a visit," Eric answered. "I always looked at all of them like they were little kids who didn't have any kind of romantic feelings at all. But I've always known in the back of my mind. How are things going between them now? You see them more than I do."

Cory sighed. "They're still going slowly, which should be fine, I know. Maya isn't even out of high school yet. . . but they're pretty good friends."

"And that is a good foundation as any," Eric pointed out in one of his smarter moments.

Cory grinned. "It is _that_ ," he agreed.

 **.**

"Josh?" Cory overheard Maya say one night when she and Riley were both seniors in high school.

"Yeah, Maya?" Josh asked juggling a large textbook and his leather messenger bag.

"I was wondering if you would be my prom date?" Maya asked straight off and not all like she had rehearsed it with Riley and Auggie two days earlier. _"Please?"_

"You want _me_ to be your prom date?" Josh asked his book crashed to the floor.

"Just as friends!" Maya said quickly.

Cory knew she said it because she thought it was what Josh would want to hear, the two of them had been doing things together since he had moved to New York and labeling it _just friends_ even though he and Topanga had known it was so much more than that and they were only pretending because it was the right thing to do.

"I wasn't saying I wouldn't go with you," Josh told her gently. "I might have to clear a few things off my schedule but that's as good as done. Now are you _sure_ that you want _me_ to be your prom date?"

"Yeah," Maya answered. "Besides, it isn't like anybody else has asked me to go."

"They haven't?" Josh asked a note of surprise in his voice.

Maya shook her head. "Nope."

Cory felt a little bad because he had heard a rumor that Farkle Minkus had made sure nobody asked Maya to go to prom with them. But by the time he had heard about it, it was too late to do anything to stop his A+ student. Besides, he had an inkling that Farkle _knew_ too and all he was trying to do was give Maya a hand by allowing her to go to the dance with the person she actually wanted to.

"Well. . ." Josh trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck like he usually did when he was around Maya. "Well. I would be _honored_ to take you to your prom, Maya."

Cory smiled and walked away, things could only get better from here. It was only a matter of time before these two finally crashed into each other faster than the speed of light.

 **.**

It was the last dance of the night.

Dancing was such inaugural part of their relationship; Cory couldn't imagine Josh would let the evening end without Maya in his arms. One of the things the two of them did well together was _dance_.

When it finally happened, when Josh had finally led Maya to the dance floor, Cory nodded at Farkle who went to the DJ and slipped him a hundred dollar bill to play a song that wasn't on the set list. It didn't take long for the requested song to fill the gym.

Josh and Maya stopped dancing when they heard the familiar song, it was a different singer, a different version but it was still the same song they had danced to as kids at Morgan's wedding.

Cory smiled; Riley had done well in finding an updated version of _Hold Me, Kiss Me, Thrill Me_. He saw her standing on the sidelines with Lucas and gave her two thumbs up while Josh and Maya started to dance again, slower this time.

Maya rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Josh put his arms around her like he was hugging her and swayed with her to the music, closing his own eyes. Cory knew it was like the whole school had disappeared and they were the only two people in the gym.

 **.**

Except nothing happened between them for another seven months. It was New Year's Eve, the clock had just struck midnight and they had both kissed, the only uncoupled couple at the party. When it was over, Riley and Maya and Josh all disappeared.

Cory knew Maya was in good hands with Riley, so he went off to talk to his brother. It was finally time to say the things he had wanted to say for years.

He had a feeling that Josh would finally ready to hear them.

 **.**

"We're getting married!" Josh said, holding up Maya's hand as they came into the apartment almost a year later.

Everybody gathered in Cory and Topanga's apartment cheered and clustered around them to look at the ring and offer their congratulations and hug the couple.

Later on, when the chaos and impromptu engagement party had died down, Josh asked Cory to be his best man. It would be only right, he told his older brother, since he had known the truth all along.

Cory was surprised at first, he had thought the honor of being best man would go to one of Josh's college friends, He had never allowed himself to imagine that he would stand right beside his baby brother on his big day.

"I couldn't imagine anyone else doing it besides you," Josh told him. "Come on and just say you'll do it, Cor! It's only fitting. Remember? You knew this was going to happen since the very first day I met Maya."

"Okay, okay! I'll do it!" Cory finally agreed.

Josh hugged him. "Thanks Cor! It means a lot to me!"

 **.**

It wasn't quite unlike the second time they had danced, she was barefoot and in a white dress. He was barefoot too and his bowtie was undone, they were even dancing to the same version of the song they had been dancing to at Morgan's wedding. Except this time, they were considerably older and it was _their_ wedding reception.

This time, Josh was stealing kisses every five seconds from a blushing Maya who was more than happy to kiss him back.

Cory felt like he had seen them dance one hundred times but it never got old. It made him smile just like it had all the other times.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **Public service announcement, first! Starting next week, I will be posting stories, updating chapters on Fridays. This is something I usually do on Fridays when school starts because I feel like it gives my readers something to look forward to if they are in school. If you're not in school, it gives you something to look forward to simply because summer vacation is almost over. Next up, I hope you enjoyed this installment of "Casual Observers" and that you will tell me what you thought. I am** _ **BLOWN**_ **away by the support for the first part! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm not sure who will be next but it'll come to me soon. I just need to decide whose story is strongest in my head (right now it's a tie between Lucas and Jasmine). Until then, please tell me what you thought!**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Love,**

 **Holly, 8/6/2015_**

 **P.S**

 **This chapter was written last night when I couldn't sleep. So, all mistakes are from staying up too late and being a little too giddy.**


	3. Jasmine

**Casual Observers: Older College Girls**

 **A Josh and Maya Story**

 **Brown Eyes Parker**

 **Rated: K+**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **I have seen the fandom drama and I have chosen to ignore it and continue shipping Josh & Maya and kind of, sort of Riley & Lucas. I will not post anti-Lucaya stories, but I might send Lucas back to where he came from because I do not want Maya and Riley's friendship to be wrecked because of a **_**boy**_ **.**

 **Anyways. Onto the story!**

 **.**

 **Chapter 3**

 _Older College Girls_

When Josh Matthews had left to bring Maya and Riley home, something dawned on Jasmine.

Josh had _never_ denied liking Maya! Sure, he had brought up their age difference more than once and he had even challenged her not knowing him well enough to actually like him. But not once had he said that he didn't like her back.

And if he had said it, he would have been lying. All the signs pointed to a fully reciprocated crush, from the way his posture had changed as soon as she had stumbled into the dorm room to the way he had been looking at her the whole time, like she was a Disney princess and annoyance because she was somewhere she wasn't supposed to be and because his niece was being assaulted by overeager sorority sisters. She wanted to know what they looked like together when they weren't in situations they weren't supposed to be in. What it looked like when it was just the two of them in a more comfortable element.

She slipped Maya her number before she left.

This was something she wasn't going to miss for the whole entire world. She wanted to be around when Josh finally learned more and stopped acting like an idiot. And as corny and a cliché as it sounded, she wanted to be around when Maya finally grew up and she wasn't the little girl that Josh used to see.

 **.**

After that, Jasmine would get the occasional call from Maya. The younger girl would shyly fill her in on what was going on with Josh. They were becoming better friends than ever. He hadn't brought up the age thing once since the night at NYU.

Both Jasmine and Maya took it as a good sign even though they wouldn't ever say it aloud.

Theirs was a quiet hope.

Jasmine didn't know Maya terribly well but she got the distinct impression that she didn't really dare get her hopes up because chances were it would be shattered into a million pieces. That was fine. Jasmine had enough hope for the both of them.

 **.**

She saw them together from a distance. Maya was chatting with him animatedly, her hands gesturing as they walked along in the crisp fall afternoon. Josh was watching her intently as they strolled along, listening to every word she said like she was a candidate for president.

Even from the sidewalk across the street, Jasmine could see that he _still_ looked at her like she was a Disney princess or something. Except as time had passed by, it had intensified.

Jasmine wondered if Josh even noticed other girls now or if he was biding his time, waiting for the day Maya was finally old enough for them to be together. She wanted to cross the street and tap him on the shoulder and ask.

But she didn't.

She couldn't bring herself to interrupt this moment between them. So, she just watched them and kept hoping.

 **.**

One late night, when cramming for a test was just _too much,_ her and her friends went to Topanga's to get something sweet to eat. Jasmine stopped short when she saw Josh and Maya sitting at a corner table together.

It was like they were locked in a staring contest except Jasmine knew nobody would break first and blink. They were too caught up in each other to do _that._ She was glad, the last thing she wanted them to do was actually _notice_ her looking at them and think she was a total psycho stalker.

Josh finally broke the stare and picked up his fork, shaking his head. "You know, you could have _all_ my dessert and more Maya. We didn't have to do that stupid staring contest just so you could have a bite of my cake!"

Jasmine finally turned away when he put his fork in Maya's mouth. There were some things too intimate to be witnessed and their sharing dessert was one of those things. She would let them have _this_ moment all to themselves.

 **.**

She talked Andrew into going to the Van Gogh exhibit with her because if anybody would get it _he_ would. They were walking around looking at the different paintings that hadn't been famous until the artist had died when they both noticed Josh and Maya looking at the _Starry Night_.

"Did you know they were going to be here?" Jasmine asked.

"Hey, I didn't even know they were even _friends_!" Andrew replied. "Maybe they're keeping it a secret. You know, like Romeo and Juliet?"

Jasmine smacked him playfully. "Ewww! _Don't_ even mention Romeo and Juliet! Do you know how their story ended!?"

"Well, maybe they're keeping it a secret like whatever couple kept their love a secret and then lived happily ever after when everybody found out," Andrew said. "Come on, let's go say hi!"

Jasmine shook her head. "I've seen them together several times and I never say ' _hi'_! I just like to keep the moment between them."

"Oh geez! Well, I'm going to say hello anyways!" Andrew told her. "You can come with me if you want to."

"Andrew! Andrew wait!" Jasmine called, hurrying to catch up with him.

"Cory told me that every time he sees this painting, he's reminded how God is protecting the people in the little town! That they live their lives and they come out of their houses, and they see this sky and they know God's protection and love. And that everything will be all right," Josh was explaining to Maya while she stared at him with pure unadulterated devotion in her blue eyes, locked in another staring contest with him.

Andrew broke the spell by clearing his throat and greeting them, "Hello Josh, Maya!" he said. "Fancy running into the two of you!"

"Oh, hey Andrew! Jasmine!" Josh replied, smiling at the two of them.

Jasmine waved and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Are the two of you enjoying the exhibit?"

Maya nodded, the smile on her face told Jasmine more than words could.

"We are!" Josh answered. "What about you guys?"

"Well, neither of us is as good as explaining the paintings as _you_ are but we're enjoying ourselves," Andrew replied. "Aren't we Jazz?"

"Oh, definitely!" Jasmine answered. "Actually, we're sorry for interrupting you. Andrew saw you and he couldn't resist coming over to say hello."

"We don't mind, right Maya?" Josh asked, looking at her like he was double-checking to see if it was okay.

"Nope, we don't mind at all!" Maya said.

Jasmine knew that she was telling the truth. She was no threat to the younger girl because she had Josh all to herself and at the end of the day, he would be walking her home and maybe stopping to share an ice cream sundae at the old-fashioned soda shop that still played Frank Sinatra songs over the speakers. Maybe they would even hold hands under the table, something stolen to hold them over until the day they could actually be together.

She smiled, a not so secret smile to herself as she took Andrew's hand and started to drag him away. "Well, we just wanted to say hello. We'll let you two get back to your _date_!"

"Oh no!" Maya said.

"It isn't a date!" Josh tried to tell her as they walked away.

But both Jasmine and Andrew pretended that they had gotten too far away from them to hear what they had said.

 **.**

Of all the moments she had accidentally caught them in, this one was her favorite. The two of them dancing to a song from a season finale of _the Vampire Diaries_ in the hallway of a NYU dorm at midnight. It was just the two of them under flickering fluorescent lights; it was like they were born to dance together. They fit like two puzzle pieces; it looked like something they did together often.

Jasmine rested her laundry basket on her hip and just watched them for the duration of three minutes and thirty seconds while Josh whirled her and twirled her. Maya's formal dress clashed with his plaid pajamas but it was still the prettiest picture that Jasmine had seen all week.

The song slowed and Josh did too. Maya looked up at him expectantly and Jasmine held her breath, wondering what would happen next.

"Sorry for interrupting your evening," Maya whispered.

"I always have time for you, Maya," Josh assured her. "I'm just sorry your first dance turned out that way. It should have been special, it shouldn't have ended with you showing up at my dorm at midnight, soaking wet and all alone. . . and crying. You especially shouldn't be crying tonight."

"I'm fine," Maya said.

"You keep saying that," Josh answered, wiping away a smudge of mascara from under her eye. "You don't have to be brave though, it's just you and me. I can see you."

Maya sniffed a little bit. "It shouldn't matter because I didn't want to go with him. I would rather spend my night with you than any other guy. But it _does_ matter a little bit because it turns out that he wanted to be with somebody else and not _me_. What's wrong with me, Josh?"

" _Nothing!"_ Josh said, pulling her into his arms and giving her a fierce hug. "There's _nothing_ wrong with you Maya! You're perfect, that guy was a _jerk_! He lost out. He couldn't see how amazing you really are."

Jasmine decided she wasn't going to walk down the hallway then, she couldn't bring herself to interrupt them. So, she turned around and asked Andrew if she could fold her laundry in his room instead.

When he heard why, he was more than happy to oblige her.

 **.**

The last time Jasmine saw them together was right after the holidays. It had been a couple of years since she had graduated from NYU and it had been a while since the last time she had seen them. But she hadn't forgotten about them, not at all. Andrew was still friends with Josh and he kept her updated on what was going on between them and sometimes she would still receive a text from Maya.

But it wasn't the same as seeing them with her own eyes.

The last time she saw them together was when she was trying to escape a rainstorm that was going to turn into a blizzard later that night. She had ducked into a diner to get warm and there they were, sitting so close to each other in a booth and holding hands, cups of coffee growing cold in front of them.

A lot had changed since the night she had caught them dancing in the dorm hallway. It looked like they had finally made the leap from friends to something more. She was just sorry that she had missed it.

It was something she had been looking forward to since she had met them.

Yes, she knew she was being silly to think she would have witnessed their first kiss, the whisper of a confession of words both of them had always felt but had never been able to say aloud because she was too young for him and he was too old for her.

It was their moment and their moment alone.

But she wished she could have been there for their big announcement, for the celebration that would have followed their news. She couldn't have been the only one who noticed had noticed the thing between them or how it had rapidly grown into something that neither of them were able to control.

She stole another glance at them while she waited for her coffee order to be filled and smiled. No, she hadn't gotten to see the penultimate part of their story but she had gotten to be a part of it, all the same.

Jasmine would never forget the love she had gotten to catch a glimpse of for as long as she lived. She wrapped her hands around the white mug that her waitress had placed in front of her, perfectly content.

 **.**

18 months later, Jasmine's cell phone beeped. She grabbed it, typed her password in and pulled up her text messages. There were three words from Maya in green and black followed by a picture.

She smiled and hurried out to the living room, colliding with her husband in the hallway.

"Josh and Maya are getting married!" Jasmine and Andrew announced at the same time, laughing and hugging each other, celebrating their friends' news.

"What a perfect happily ever after for Maya!" Jasmine said.

"What a perfect happily ever after for Josh!" Andrew answered. "He had to wait for her to grow up before he could do anything about his feelings for her!"

"Maya had to wait to," Jasmine reminded him gently.

"What a perfect happily ever for the both of them then!" Andrew said eager to appease his wife.

"It is," Jasmine agreed, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. "It really is."

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note II:**

 **Like you didn't see me ending with Andrew and Jasmine together from a mile away! Actually, it wasn't something I decided on until Tuesday night. When I thought about it, it just made sense. But this is not about Andrew and Jasmine. This is about Josh and Maya from Jasmine's POV. I hope you will tell me what you thought. I enjoyed writing about her witnessing these moments from a distance. I found myself wishing Jasmine would become a regular guest star, as a Joshaya cheerleader.**

 **Anyways. I'll quit boring you with my ramblings. I hope you will tell me what you thought! I am looking forward to hearing from you!**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Love,**

 **Holly, 8/14/2015_**

 **P.S**

 **The dance scene went through three revisions. The last time I wrote it was after I had heard "Hunger" by Ross Copperman. I didn't actually see it in the Vampire Diaries, since I don't watch it. It was in a Josh & Maya video that I found when I couldn't sleep a couple of nights ago and then I found out it had been in the season finale of TVD. **


	4. Amy Matthews

**Casual Observers: Mother's Intuition**

 **A Josh and Maya Story**

 **By Brown Eyes Parker**

 **Shout-outs: madison15694, Beatriz, Anisha, Hoalover716 and Floridianfan for their reviews. . .**

 **Rated: K+**

 **Author's Note:**

 **Shout-out to the bestest little sister a girl could ask for, for agreeing to edit this for me as part as her home schooling. I love you Kitty Kat!**

She was more hair than girl, her curls glowing golden in the setting sunshine while she and Riley came into the Matthews house arm-in-arm. Josh was sitting on the counter and helping Amy make chocolate chip cookies but he stopped when she entered the kitchen, his eyes lighting up when she came into the room. He was completely captivated with the newcomer, from the way he was looking at her it would seem like she was a Disney princess who had stepped straight out of the movies and walked into his life.

It was like Cory and Topanga all over again, except they hadn't known each other since they were infants and Josh was three years older than Maya Hart was. But age didn't matter, not when they were children and catching fireflies in the backyard while they sang Disney songs off-key, or played make believe in clothes that had belonged to her and Allen years ago.

Even though it was childhood stuff, Amy knew that it wasn't _nothing_ at the same time.

She'd been dealing with young love for as long as she could remember.

It wouldn't be any different this time around.

And it wasn't.

Summer ended and Maya went home. Josh talked about her for weeks; there was a permanent goofy grin on his face. When he had run out of things to talk about and he had exhausted their stories, he would ask Amy if she had asked Topanga how Maya was doing.

Amy couldn't always answer his questions though, all things Maya related weren't good and she didn't know how to tell him this.

Until she had to a year later, when Josh was going to spend the summer with his brother and sister-in-law. By then Maya's parents were divorced and Topanga had told her that the young girl wasn't the same person she was as the summer before.

Amy did her best to prepare her youngest child for the inevitable.

But just like his brother before him, he wasn't having any of it.

"She'll feel better when I'm there!" Josh told her emphatically as he tried to sneak his entire collection of _Encyclopedia Brown_ books into his suitcase. "You'll _see_ mom!"

Amy laughed and ruffled his hair. "But I _won't_ see Josh! I'll be in Europe with dad. I'll take your word for it though. And when I get home you can tell me all about it, okay?"

"Okay," Josh answered.

"And you can only bring _**one**_ _Encyclopedia Brown_ book! You already packed Tom Sawyer, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the latest Boxcar Children mystery! You don't want Topanga and Cory to have to keep track of your whole bedroom, do you?"

"You're going to be gone the _whole_ summer though! Four books aren't nearly enough!" Josh replied.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find something to do Josh! Now go and get ready for bed. You know we have to leave early in the morning. I have it on good authority that Maya will be there in the morning. Don't you want to see her?"

Josh was out of the room before Amy could finish her sentence.

 **.**

"It was _incredible_ , mom!" Cory told her over the phone. "Josh actually got Maya to smile! She hasn't smiled in _months_ and he actually got her to smile! I can't actually believe it!"

"Well, he does take after _you_ Cor."

"Me?" Cory repeated, laughing. "Mom, I hate to remind you of this but I wasn't half as good looking as he is."

"Oh Cory, _that_ isn't what I mean!" Amy said in exasperation. "Remember when Topanga's parents were getting divorced?"

"And she wanted to break up with me because she didn't think there was such a thing as true love?" Cory asked. "How could I forget it?"

"Yes she did," Amy conceded. "But I do remember that you were always able to coax a smile out of _her_ when you got back together."

"They aren't me and Topanga," Cory told her.

"No, they aren't."

"But he does like her."

Amy sighed. "I know _that_ Cory. I raised _you_. I watched you and Topanga for years. I've loved your father for as long as I can remember. I know what love looks like and Josh loves Maya."

"They aren't too young?" Cory asked, teasing her.

"No. After you and Topanga, I know. . . I know anything is possible. It's late in New York though! You better go and get some sleep, okay? Call me again later."

"I will," Cory promised. "Love you."

"Love you too Cor," Amy said. "And by the way, you _were_ a good looking boy!"

Cory chuckled. "Thank you, Mom."

Amy hung up the phone, happy with the news Cory had shared with her. Josh had been able to get Maya to smile. When a girl had that kind of sadness in her, it took something (or _someone_ ) really special to find her smile.

And her youngest son had been able to do it.

They had to have something _pretty_ special for that to happen.

 **.**

One night in late autumn, Amy woke up to sounds coming from Josh's room. He was up late again, probably going over his homework for the umpteenth time. She put her robe and slippers on, intent on telling him that he should be in bed when she stopped in front of his door.

He was strumming his miniature guitar and singing an old song into the portable phone.

" _From Tolstoy to Tinkerbell, down from Berkeley to Carmel. Got some pictures in my pocket and a lot of time to kill. Hey Sunshine, I haven't seen you in a long time. Why don't you show your face and bend my mind. . ."_

When the song had ended, he picked up the phone and clicked off speaker, smiling as he did. "Maya? Are you still there? Good. Okay, I'll talk to you later then. Sweet dreams."

Amy decided not to bust him for being awake later than he was supposed to _and_ for using the phone after 9:30pm. If he was talking to Maya, it had to be for a very good reason.

The next morning, over pancakes and chocolate milk, Josh confessed to talking to Maya the night before.

"I know I'm not supposed to be on the phone after 9:30," Josh said, shoveling pancakes into his mouth because he was running late for school. "But she couldn't sleep and she was lonely. What did you want me to do? Just leave her all alone?"

Amy shook her head. "No. You did the right thing. Next time ask though, okay? There's no need to be sneaking around especially when you aren't doing anything wrong, Josh!"

"So, I can talk on the phone after 9:30 then?" Josh asked hopefully.

"Only under the most special of circumstances," Amy answered. "And only if you _ask_ first!"

"Okay, okay!" Josh replied, gulping his chocolate milk and swiping his hand across his mouth when a car horn started to beep outside. He kissed her on the cheek and grabbed his backpack. "I've gotta go! My ride's here!"

 **.**

Josh was whirling and twirling Maya around the dance floor, they had been dancing since the DJ had started to play music. Somewhere over the course of the night, they had both discarded their shoes and he had undone his emerald bowtie. Maya's plastic crown of flowers was lopsided but she couldn't take her eyes off of Josh even for a second, her dress glittering in the white lights.

Amy hoped the photographer had captured at least one picture of them dancing. It was a beautiful moment, one that she wanted to be able to keep forever. She would show it to their children one day and say, _"See? Your daddy's loved your mommy ever since they were little kids."_

"I got the photographer to take a few pictures of them," her new son-in-law tells her in his lilting Irish accent, nodding in Josh and Maya's direction. "A moment like _that_ deserves to be preserved for the rest of their lives."

Amy beamed. "Thank you Mark," she said, giving him a hug.

Later on, a few months after the wedding, Mark and Morgan sent Amy some pictures of the wedding. Among them were a handful of Maya and Josh, all in different poses and degrees of dance, each one with looks of pure, unadulterated adoration on their faces.

Amy framed them all in a frame with multiple slots and hung them with the other family pictures. Because Maya was a part of their family now even if it wasn't by blood or even in name quite yet.

 **.**

They didn't see each other again until they were 13 and 16. Amy wasn't too nervous about letting Topanga run Christmas for the first time to notice that things were adorably awkward between the two childhood pals.

Josh rubbed the back of his neck and made some offhand comment about how Maya had grown up gorgeous before hoisting Auggie up on his shoulders and disappearing while Maya watched him go, a smile on her face.

Later on, during the ride home, Josh was the one with the silly smile on his face. His secret showing for Amy and Allen to see.

Neither of them said anything though.

It wasn't time yet.

 **.**

Josh was going to New York more and more. He said it was to see Cory and Amy believed he thought that was why he was really going. Even though she knew that the fact Maya was there had _something_ to do with it. He would protest it loudly every single time someone would suggest it was why he was going up.

"She's too young for me!" He would argue as he swung his duffle bag over his shoulder and kissed Amy goodbye.

It was true, Maya _was_ too young for him by the law's standards but Amy knew he was trying to talk himself out of feelings that he shouldn't be having. Because if Josh didn't like her then he would have come right out and said it like the time one of his friends at school had kept pestering him for a date.

Josh had told her point blank that he just didn't see her like that.

This was different though. He never told Maya or anybody _that_. He just kept bringing up the age thing, a constant reminder of things he couldn't have quite yet.

But Amy wasn't the kind of mother to force issues on her children. So, she stayed quiet and let Josh do his thing without telling him that one day, someday Maya would be older or forcing her on him. It was his life, she was going to let him learn from his mistakes and make his own decisions.

And when he disappeared to New York _again_ , all Amy could do was smile.

 **.**

He hadn't talked to Maya on the phone this late since they were both little kids and she couldn't sleep because she missed her father. This time, he wasn't singing Simon & Garfunkel songs to tempt her to go to sleep with good dreams or assuring her that everything would be okay.

This time they were arguing and if Josh's end was anything to go by, things were pretty heated. He was pacing around his room and waving his free hand around in the air, like Maya was right in front of him.

"Do whatever you want Maya!" He practically snarled. "Fine! Go out with him then! I _don't_ care! No, I'm not lying to you. I _really_ don't care if you go out with him or not! It's your life, you can do whatever you want. I don't even know why you called me in the first place! Fine, maybe I will! Don't you dare hang up first Maya Hart! Hey, I told you not to hang up on me!"

He growled at the phone in frustration before angrily throwing it on his bed. Josh looked up and saw Amy standing in the doorway with a look of surprise on her face.

He had the decency to look ashamed of himself as he cleared his throat, his ears turning red. "Oh, did you hear that?" He asked.

"Yes!" Amy said, folding her arms and looking at him sternly. "Joshua Gabriel Matthews, _what_ was that all about!?"

"She . . . she told me to go screw myself!" Josh replied indignantly.

"Well, you weren't very nice to her!" Amy pointed out.

"Yeah, well . . . she called me to ask if she should go out on a date with this new kid at school!" Josh told her. " _Why_ would she even do that?"

Suddenly, something dawned on Amy and she smirked. "You're jealous!"

"Mom, _please_ , I am _not_ jealous!" Josh said. "I just wish she would _stop_ bugging me all the time!"

"Oh Josh, she doesn't bug you all the time! Come on, just admit it, you're _jealous_ because somebody's interested in Maya!"

"That would be completely unfair of me if I actually _was_!" Josh protested. "She's _three_ years younger than me! I can't just ask her to sit around waiting for the day when she's finally old enough to date me!"

"I know, I know!" Amy said, coming in and smoothing his hair away from her face. "But you're still going crazy over the fact that somebody who isn't _you_ wants to spend time with her. Aren't you?"

"No. . ." Josh lied before sighing. "Well, okay, maybe a _little_. But I shouldn't feel this way! I should be okay with the fact that guys her _own_ age are interested in her."

Amy sighed. "I don't think you're really angry with _Maya_. You're angry with yourself because you're jealous and you're having feelings for her that you don't think you should. Right?"

Josh thought about it for a minute and then nodded his head. "I'm not angry with Maya. No matter how hard I've tried to be angry with her since we met up again in December. . . I can't. I think I really. . ." he trailed off, stopping short of a confession.

Amy smiled and gestured towards his phone. "You better call and make things right with her, Josh."

He tried but it went straight to voicemail. Josh looked at his mother pitifully. "She doesn't want to talk to me," he said, comically mournful.

"Keep trying," Amy said. "I'm going to unload the dishwasher."

1 hour and 36 minutes later, Josh was trying to work on homework in the kitchen. He had been calling Maya every three minutes, with the same results; she still hadn't picked up her phone. Josh was lamenting about how _badly_ he had screwed things up and banging his pencil against the table when there was a sharp knock on the glass door.

When Amy saw his mouth drop open, she went over to see who was there. It was Maya, staring at him with unblinking eyes, shivering in the cool spring evening.

"Well, just don't stand there!" Amy told him. Let her in!"

"Oh right!" Josh said, going over to the door and opening it. He looked back at her for the longest time before laughing and rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey Maya, does your mom know you're here?"

"What makes you think you have the right to talk to me like that!?" Maya answered, hitting him on the chest as she came into the house. "Hah? You aren't my brother and you most certainly aren't my _boyfriend_. I'm not sure we're even friends. So, what gives Matthews!?"

"Ouch! Will you please stop it Maya?" Josh asked, trying to shield himself from her blows.

" _Answer me!"_ Maya demanded. " _What_ gives you the _right_ to talk to me like that!?"

"Nothing! Okay? I'm sorry! I shouldn't have gotten angry with you. I was. . ." Josh trailed off and looked helplessly at Amy.

"You're on your own, son," Amy told him.

"You were _what_?" Maya asked, gently putting a hand on his arm.

"We're friends," Josh said. "I want you to know that . . . we _are_ friends! And I just want you to be careful. I care about you Maya. I have ever since the first day we met all those years ago."

"We're _friends_?" Maya repeated. "I spent all of my birthday money so you could tell me that we're _friends_?"

Josh smiled at her. "The next time we fight, I'll make the trip. Okay?"

Maya sighed. "Just for you to know, I told him that I wasn't interested in going out with him. Okay?"

"Really?" Josh asked.

Amy noted the relief on his face and smirked as she went back to cleaning the kitchen.

Maya nodded. "Really, I guess I'm still stuck on somebody else. Crazy, isn't it?"

Josh shook his head. "No. No, it isn't. Maybe he's a little bit stuck on you too. But listen Maya, he wants you to go and live your life. Don't sit around waiting for someday to come around. It'll be here before either of you know it and then you'll wish you had seen what else was out there."

From the corner of her eye, Amy saw Maya shake her head.

"No," she said. "No, I'm pretty sure that I would _never_ wish for something like that."

 **.**

Summer.

Josh was in New York for the most of it but everybody, including Katy Hart, Shawn Hunter, Lucas Friar and Maya met up in Cape Cod for the week before and after 4th of July. They rented a big house on the beach and just spent time together.

Amy was not unaware of the shift between Maya and Josh. They were closer than ever, sharing secrets and disappearing for long walks in downtown Wellfleet. When they came home, they would smell like coffee shops and dusty books and they would both look so happy after they had spent the afternoon together.

One rainy afternoon during their vacation, Amy went to find them to see if they wanted to go to a movie to pass the time because everybody else had started to argue from being cooped up for too long. She found them sitting next to each other on the couch, Bob Dylan was playing on one of the many portable speakers that had been brought to the Cape by the teenagers and Maya was drawing on Josh's arm with a thin-tipped Sharpie. She was deep in concentration as she drew the New York skyline across his arm and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Amy cleared her throat, sorry to interrupt them, but unwilling to leave them at the beach house by themselves. They both looked at her, not at all embarrassed to be caught.

"We're going to a movie," she said.

"Okay," Maya answered easily, capping her marker and tossing it on the coffee table.

"Be right there Mom," Josh added.

Amy was sorry when their vacation ended and they had to part ways.

 **.**

The years passed by quickly and pretty soon, Maya was legally an adult. But something was holding them back, maybe it was the fear of ruining their friendship by crossing over into something more. Sure, they had been _something more_ for longer than they had known but putting it into actual words was something that could be terrifying.

It would happen eventually, it was certainly inevitable. But Amy still wasn't going to force it, push Maya on Josh. He already had her wrapped around his pinky finger, she already had his heart.

The two of them couldn't imagine life without the other one in it.

It finally happened on New Year's, after the clock had struck 12 and everybody in the room had kissed their other half. Josh and Maya did it too because everybody else was doing it. Amy watched with bated breath as they pulled away and separated, going to different corners of the house.

Riley followed Maya and Cory followed Josh.

While everybody else _still_ had to wait.

 **.**

A year later, they were engaged. Josh looked like he had won the lottery as he held Maya's hand up and showed off the engagement ring, a symbol that they belonged to each other for as long as they both should live.

Amy couldn't have been happier for them even though she had _always_ known it would come to this.

A mother's intuition was _rarely_ ever wrong, after all.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note II:**

 **Firstly, the next story is Topanga's because her story has been coming to me in bits and pieces. Secondly, I hope you will tell me what you thought of** _ **this**_ **chapter. I am anxiously awaiting your thoughts. Third of all, next week I will be out of town for a birthday party. . . so, I'll possibly update the Wednesday or the Thursday before I leave.**

 **Anyways. I know lots of you are going back to school over the next few weeks, I'm wishing all of you a good and healthy year.**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Love,**

 **Holly, 8/21/2015_**


	5. Topanga Matthews

**Chapter 5**

 _Hopeful Sister-in-Laws_

It started the summer when they first brought Maya to visit Philadelphia with them. When Maya entered the kitchen, Josh couldn't take his eyes off of her as she walked in arm-arm with Riley. For her part, Maya was staring at Josh with wide blue eyes, it was like she didn't know what to make of him but she liked what she saw.

Topanga concealed a smirk. She knew for a fact that once a Matthews boy fell, they fell hard and long and nobody else would do. She was looking forward to see the way that their story unfolded. And their story started that summer without fanfare or bravado like young romances usually did. They liked each other instantly and that was enough for them.

By the giddy look on her husband's face, she knew he had put two-and-two together too. They talked about it together in whispers. They asked each other questions at night, while they were lying in bed in Morgan's old room.

Would Life be kind enough to bring two more kids together like she had brought them together? At such a young age? With so much at stake with Maya's parents, Kermit and Katy, on the edge of divorce? With a three year age difference that would matter when Maya was in her first year of high school and Josh on his way to college?

Cory was sure that it _was_. Life knew what she was doing, she _always_ did.

Topanga was encouraged by his belief. It _had_ been what kept them together this whole time, it was why they were lying in bed together instead of in different beds, in different cities. It was why they had a beautiful daughter and a wonderful life together. It was why Josh and Maya had met and fell into instant like with each other.

She knew Cory was right, of course, Life _did_ know what she was doing.

So, she allowed the giddiness to creep over her too and watched as her young brother-in-law was swept away on a wave that was young love.

 **.**

Her favorite moment of the whole entire summer was one she and Cory caught together. It was a rainy afternoon and everybody was stuck in the house. They were gathering up the kids to take them to a movie when they walked into the living room and saw Josh holding a teetering Maya up as they both did their very best to dance to _Can You Feel the Love Tonight_.

It was the sweetest thing, the way Josh looked in one of Alan's discarded suit coats and the way he was holding Maya steady because she was trying to wear a pair of Amy's old high heels and they were too big for her feet and her legs weren't used to being three inches of the ground.

Her heart melted and she slipped her arm through Cory's, looking up at him. "Awww," she whispered, so she wouldn't break the spell. "Isn't that one of the cutest things that you've ever seen?"

Cory beamed at her and nodded.

 **.**

The next summer, Josh stayed with them while her in-laws went to Europe for much needed alone time.

Like they had predicted, Maya had sunk into some sort of depression because her parents had gotten divorced and she realized sometimes there wasn't such a thing as _true love_. Topanga, Riley, Cory and Katy Hart had put their best efforts in but nothing could cheer the girl up.

Riley was too young and Katy was harboring sadness of her own because she had been the one to lose her whole entire life for another woman.

Cory and Topanga were reminders of everything Maya didn't have anymore.

So, she called Amy and told her to warn Josh that Maya wasn't the same girl she was the summer before.

Except the most amazing thing happened that summer. Josh was able to make Maya smile again, Topanga had been at work when it happened, so she didn't hear about it until she got home and everybody tried to tell her about it all at once.

"Josh. . ."

". . . he did it, mommy! He did it!" Riley shouted over her father as she tugged on her pencil skirt. "Uncle Josh _did it_!"

"He really did Topanga!" Cory said, beaming proudly at his youngest brother. "I thought it was gone for good!"

"I did too!" Maya piped in.

"Hold on a second!" Topanga said, using the universal signal for _time out_. "What exactly happened today?"

They all started to talk at once and that's when Topanga noticed it. Maya's lost smile was back on her mouth, her eyes brighter than they had been in a while. All the pieces fell into place and she smiled too.

"He did it!" Topanga repeated excitedly. "He got her to smile!"

They celebrated that night with pizza and ice cream and a Broadway show. They wore their best clothes, stopping on their way to buy a tie for Josh so he could wear it with his jeans and a white button down shirt.

And when the lights went down, Topanga looked over and saw that Josh was holding Maya's hand as the orchestra started to tune up and the curtain lifted, the stage set for a play.

Topanga took Cory's hand and smiled.

 **.**

Josh and Maya were dancing at Morgan's wedding. They were barefoot and happy, spinning around and around to an old song. Topanga was watching Cory watch them, a little breathless in her emerald green bridesmaid dress because it was a little snug around her growing baby bump.

Josh and Maya dancing was still adorable. But they were going to have years to watch them dance, so she went over to Cory and suggested they join them on the dance floor. He smiled and accepted her offer.

 **.**

They didn't meet again until Maya was 14 and Josh was 17 and it was Christmas. Topanga was a little frazzled because she was hosting Christmas for the first time and she didn't want to mess it up. But she wasn't too frazzled to notice the way they reacted to seeing each other again for the first time in years.

There was a hug and words that Topanga couldn't quite make out but Josh and Maya were smiling. When Maya finally let go, Josh took one look at her and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well. . . you grew up gorgeous!" He said.

Topanga watched Maya's face as he walked away. It looked like she was screaming internally, like she was on cloud 9, like all her Christmas wishes had come true with one phrase. Topanga caught Amy watching the pair's exchange too and she was certain that her mother-in-law knew exactly what was up.

But this was the stage that Topanga had been anticipating. The one where the age difference would be significant, where Josh was starting college and Maya high school. If they were able to survive this then they would be able to survive anything.

Topanga hoped they would survive it, that they would come out of it as stronger friends and maybe something more. She saw the way Josh looked at Maya when she wasn't looking, she heard the way he said he was too old for her but he didn't say he _didn't_ like her.

Topanga had Cory's faith that _something_ was going to happen one day when the time was right.

 **.**

In the meantime, she was subjected to catching a weak-kneed and starry-eyed Maya every single time Josh came through the door. It was almost humorous the way they reacted to each other. Her usually cool surrogate daughter was a mess around him. And her equally usually cool brother-in-law was a scared little boy around her.

There were a lot of late night cups of hot chocolate with Maya after his visits and the younger girl confided all the things in her that she couldn't say to Josh. Like all the reasons she liked him and some secrets in between.

"He would sing songs to me when we were little kids and I couldn't sleep," Maya told her. "And even though my parents were divorced, I kind of thought I would marry him one day. And now I'm not so sure, I'm not so sure about anything."

Topanga knew she should have told her that she was in the eighth grade and it was okay to be confused, that she was too young to think about marriage and forever and boys. But when she was 14 and had a huge crush on Cory, she hadn't wanted to hear she was too young to feel what she was feeling.

So, she just listened and didn't say anything at all even though her first impulse was to fix everything for the both of them.

 **.**

One afternoon a few weeks after the girls had snuck out to the party at NYU, a distraught looking Maya left the apartment in a hurry. Riley was close at her heels, telling her not to go and do anything stupid.

Topanga stopped her daughter in her tracks.

"What is going on?" She asked.

"Maya and Josh got into a _huge_ fight," Riley answered, struggling to follow Maya out of the apartment. "I think Maya's going to confront him about it. She can't just leave New York without telling anybody what she's doing or where she's going!"

"I'm pretty sure we know where she's going," Topanga told her.

Riley frowned. "But Josh doesn't like her like that."

"Oh come on sweetie, you can't be _that_ oblivious!" Topanga said not unkindly.

Riley released a deep breath and wrinkled her nose. "I'm really _not_ , mommy! I just don't want to believe it! Because that means Maya might be my aunt some day! And that'll be really weird. But I don't want them to fight, I like it when they get along and are friends."

"I know," Topanga soothed, brushing Riley's hair away from her face. "You don't have to worry about it right now though, they're only old enough to be friends anyways. Come on and help me finish dinner."

"But she's still going to see him!"

"And I'm sure we'll hear all about it when she gets back to New York," Topanga answered, directing Riley to the kitchen.

And she was right. When _both_ Maya and Josh came waltzing into the apartment later that night, they both had a lot to say. Topanga could tell that things were back to normal between them, just like they were kids. Except there was a shift in their relationship too. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Later on, Amy told her about Josh's quasi-confession in the kitchen, how they were friends and how he was a little stuck on Maya but he wanted her to live her life despite that fact because their time was still far away and he was afraid that she would miss out on something or she would wish she had dated somebody else.

Amy had told her how Maya had insisted she wouldn't feel like she had missed out on anything by waiting for him.

It was the start of something new.

Topanga was anxious to see what happened next.

 **.**

"Hello Family!" Josh sang out as he came into the apartment. "Is Maya around? I need to ask her something."

"To prom?" Auggie asked, trying to raise an eyebrow.

"Auggie!" Topanga said, even though she was a little interested to see if that _was_ his question. "So, are you asking her to prom?"

"Even better! I just scored some of the most coveted tickets for _Finding Neverland_ , _the musical_!" Josh answered.

"Are you sure?" Topanga asked suddenly suspicious. "Those tickets are pretty hard to come by."

"I'm sure!" Josh insisted, producing the tickets for her to examine.

Topanga frowned while she studied them. "Well, they are _real_ but Josh, they're for the night of your prom! Don't you want to go?"

"Not particularly, no," Josh answered. "I mean, I could probably ask any girl and they would go with me. But I can't bring the person I really want to bring or buy or a corsage or dance with her to the last slow song. But I can do _this_ and maybe I'll get to see her dress up and tell her how pretty she looks."

"But you'll never get another prom," Topanga tried to explain.

Josh shrugged. "You never know. I might."

Maya and Riley came in just then.

Auggie grinned. "Maya, Josh has something to ask you," he blurted.

"Yeah?" Maya asked, Topanga noticed she had gone a little breathless and her cheeks a little pinker.

"Would you like to see _Finding Neverland, the musical_ with me?"

"WOULD SHE!?" Riley shrieked. "She's been talking about seeing _Finding Neverland_ for weeks!"

"I would love to go and see it with you," Maya answered, her smile widening.

Two weeks later, Cory and Topanga were waiting for Josh and Maya to get back from the theater. They came in humming songs from the show and holding hands and they didn't even let go when they were caught.

"I'm going to talk to Riley," Maya said after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"How'd it go?" Topanga asked when the three of them were alone.

"She's amazing," Josh answered, looking in the direction she had left.

Topanga looked at Cory and smiled.

 **.**

They were in the Cape Cod and Josh and Maya were spending all of their time together. They would disappear for hours on end, when they came home they were all smiles and inside jokes, they were stolen moments nobody else got to share except for the two of them.

One night when it was late and everybody was supposed to be in bed, Topanga woke up to music coming from the porch. She threw a kimono over her pajamas and crept downstairs to see what was going on.

Josh and Maya were still awake, watching the waves go in and out while Josh strummed his guitar, singing songs of love to Maya.

" _I want to tell you how much I love you, do you remember when we met? That's the day I knew you were my pet. I want to tell you how much I love you. . ."_

Maya was smiling and moving her head in time to the music, her eyes closed like she was lost in the most wonderful of daydreams.

Topanga just watched them, not willing to go outside and pull the mom card and send them to bed. It was a lovely picture, the two of them sitting on the porch with the ocean surrounding them, covered in stardust and moonlight.

So, she just watched them for a little bit longer before deciding to go to bed because it didn't look like they would be going to bed anytime soon.

And she was right. Riley was more than happy to tell her that Josh and Maya had stayed up the whole night just to see the sunrise and wasn't that the cutest thing ever?

Topanga poured maple syrup into Pyrex so she could heat it up before serving it with buttermilk pancakes and nodded in agreement, it was pretty cute, she had to agree.

 **.**

Josh had agreed to be Maya's prom date.

And she was finally 18.

Both Topanga and Cory hoped this is when _it_ would happen because at this point, it was inevitable. It had pretty much been the Josh  & Maya show for the past four years, senior prom was the perfect time to make it official.

She knew Lucas and Riley would be back together by the end of the night because he had asked permission to court her before he had invited her to go to prom.

But Josh and Maya were a lot less translucent. They were both playing their cards close to their chest.

Topanga knew that Maya was hoping for something to happen too though because once she had started hoping once upon a time ago, she hadn't been able to stop. But she still wasn't saying anything.

Except nothing happened. Cory and the kids had set it all up so something could happen, playing Maya and Josh's song and clearing the floor for a solo slow dance.

Her husband had come home muttering how his little brother had missed an opportunity to finally take his and Maya's relationship to the next level. They hadn't even kissed and the atmosphere had been _so_ right for it. He was so upset, he flossed his teeth twice.

Topanga wondered just how long it would be before something more finally did happen. They'd already been waiting a long time, they couldn't really wait too much longer to turn their friendship into something more.

 **.**

But spring turned into summer and summer turned into fall and before anybody knew it the holidays were there. But Josh and Maya were still stuck in the same pattern, friends on the edge of something more.

Topanga wasn't sure what was holding them back anymore. Age wasn't a factor anymore and they wouldn't ruin the thing they had between them because it could only be better than good. She didn't ask though, didn't say anything to either of them.

It would happen when it happened.

And it did.

At the stroke of midnight, when the New Year came sweeping in and everybody in the family kissed their significant other. They were the only unpaired couple there, so it was only natural they shared a kiss because everybody else was doing it and even Josh and Maya weren't above doing something everybody else was doing.

It lasted a few seconds longer than it should have for a New Year's Eve kiss and when they had separated, they both left they both disappeared. Cory followed Josh, he had wanted to talk to him about Maya for a long time and now was as good a time as ever to do it.

Riley followed Maya to give her support if she needed it.

And everybody waited to see what would happen next.

 **.**

A year later, they were engaged and building dream houses and planning a future _together_. They were talking about white lace (Maya was opposed to it) and promises and what they would name their kids.

Another year went by quickly and then Josh and Maya were making 'til death do us part vows. They were radiant and happy and it was beautiful.

And Topanga couldn't have been happier to be part of their life up to this point and beyond. It was the best kind of happily ever after.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **A lot of people are still asking for me to write from Lucas' POV. And I am still not sure how I am going to do that. . . mostly because I am not sure if they want me to write how he is in love with Maya and willing to give it up because she is madly in love with Josh, or what. I am waiting for the right story to come to me. So, I'm sorry but you might be waiting a while. But I Shawn and Katy's POV will be coming soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed Topanga's POV and that you will tell me what you thought. I was blown away by the support for Amy's story. Thank you** _ **so**_ **much!**

 **I'll be back to regular posts next Friday. For now, enjoy this earlier installment of Casual Observers. And here's a shameless plug, if you haven't read Maya yet and you want something else to read while I am away, you can always go catch up on that. I will try and write chapter 2 when I have the time. I already started, actually.**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Love,**

 **Holly, 8/26/2015_**


	6. Katy Hart

**Casual Observers: Working Mommy**

 **A Josh & Maya Story**

 **By Brown Eyes Parker**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Rated: K+**

 **Shout-outs: Guest, Guest, Anisah, Luvemhorses1, rileytown, Guest, skygazer13, Hoalover716**

 **.**

 **Chapter 6**

 _Working Mommy_

Maya was singing happy songs, it had been a while since Katy Hart had heard her sing anything at all. She peeked into her daughter's room and saw her spinning around in circles in her pajamas, dancing with an imaginary partner and putting on a concert for her stuffed animals and solo American Girl doll just like she had when she was a little girl.

She was a powerful performer, drawing Katy in just as much as any really good contestant on American Idol could. She couldn't take her eyes off Maya as she spun around the room and belted out the lyrics to a song that she hadn't ever heard before.

" _Turning in circles and blurring the lines, I won't lie, I'm a little bit frightened of my imagination, swear I'll try 'cause I'm feeling enlightened. You're my inspiration. We can fly if we want to, I promise you faith will give you wings. Just take the second star on the right, straight ahead to the morning light. . ."_

Katy's heart stopped as Maya sang on and suddenly everything was obvious. She was in like or in love with somebody. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before but then there hadn't been anybody. Farkle Minkus wasn't her type and Lucas Friar and Riley Matthews were in mutual like with each other and Maya would never pursue the same boy that her friend liked. She was loyal to a fault.

But she hadn't ever mentioned a name or brought somebody home to study and for TV dinners. And they had never been one to share secrets with each other. If Maya liked somebody, she was sure Topanga Matthews had been the first person to hear about it.

Katy so desperately wanted to know who had captured her daughter's attention enough to make her to sing again. Usually girls with crushes would find a way to bring his name up in any situation, but Maya was as silent as a darkened theater.

And she had been so absent from her daughter's life, she knew she didn't have the right to press her for details. To ask her for questions.

Still, she wished Maya would confide in her.

Because finding out about her daughter's first crush seemed like a rite of passage. She didn't want to miss out on it for anything. She wanted to be there when he didn't like her back and her little heart was broken or maybe he liked her back and her heart would be too light for words. Katy couldn't see the future for Maya and this mystery boy. But she wanted to be there when the future happened.

 **.**

The answer came at Topanga's a week or two later. Cory's youngest brother Joshua came into the establishment and it was like the whole world had stood still. Maya looked up on instinct when the bell above the door rang. And he was standing there, like the leading man in a Taylor Swift music video.

He found Maya almost immediately and they both smiled at each other at the same time.

For Katy Hart, the world was in black and white but they were in screaming color and she knew, Joshua was the one who had captured her daughter's heart and she had captured his if the way he was looking at her was anything to go by.

She scrolled through the conversations she had had with her daughter over the course of a few months to make sense of what was happening right in front of her eyes. If she could recall correctly, Maya had been casually mentioning Josh for the better part of her young life.

Katy couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before. But then Josh was _three_ years older than Maya and Katy had been chalking up the talk to hero worship or the desire for an older brother the whole time. Or maybe an uncle because she didn't have one.

She had never attributed it to love.

But she should have.

Because Maya was sitting there with the same goofy expression she had been wearing every single time she had mentioned the young boy.

Katy made a pretense of making a fresh pot of coffee while she watched them from the corner of her eye. In a matter of seconds, he had made his way over to her and taken the unoccupied barstool to her left.

"Hey Maya," Josh said.

"Hey Josh," Maya echoed, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair as she tried not to smile anymore but failing miserably. "What a surprise. I didn't know you were coming this weekend."

"Well, if you knew then it wouldn't have been a surprise," Josh answered. "I'm pretty surprised that Riley didn't say anything to you though."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she's about to burst," Maya said. "She can keep a secret but only for so long. So, what brings you to the city this weekend? Aside from your family that is. I was sure you'd be swapped finishing senior projects and what-not."

Josh snorted. "Did you just say _what-not_?"

Maya nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "Seriously Josh, _what_ are you doing here? Is there something going on that I forgot about? Because you couldn't have come all this way just to see _me_."

"It isn't really _that_ far," Josh reminded her. "It's hardly an hour-and-a-half away. And what is an hour-and-a-half when you have the right music and a good reason for the drive?"

Katy looked just in time to see Maya's eyes widen slightly as it dawned on her that she _was_ the reason for his visit this particular weekend.

"You shouldn't keep spending your money on me," she finally said.

"Why not?" Josh asked. "It's my money, I can spend it on whatever I want to as long as it isn't on anything illegal. Besides, it's been 20 days since the last time we saw each other. Last night that song from _Finding Neverland_ came on and I decided I couldn't wait to see you anymore."

"I've been there too a few times," Maya admitted.

Katy turned around and smiled widely. "Maya, who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Joshua Matthews," Maya answered. "I've mentioned him to you before."

"You have," Katy said. "A few times actually. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Joshua."

"Same here, Mrs. Hart," Josh replied, shaking her hand politely.

"Oh please, call me _Katy_! I haven't been Mrs. Hart for years," Katy told him.

She glanced at Maya to see if she had embarrassed her in any way and was relieved to see that her daughter was actually smiling as she watched the exchange.

Katy was relieved. She didn't want to do anything to damage her daughter's relationship, not before it had even gotten the chance to really begin.

 **.**

"Tell me about Joshua," Katy said.

Topanga looked up from the new scone recipe she was developing. "Josh?"

"He came into the café on Friday," Katy answered. "To see Maya, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't she tell me?"

"I assumed you knew," Topanga said. "And if Maya didn't tell you, I'm assuming she had her reasons."

"Yes," Katy said wistfully. "We've started to talk more lately, you know. But she's still holding back. . . I wish she had told me about him, she told you."

"She didn't tell us anything," Topanga hurried to assure her. "It's been kind of obvious since the first day the two of them met."

"And what does it say about me that I didn't notice until recently? You know my daughter better than I do!"

"Hey! You're doing your best, Katy," Topanga said, going to her and giving her a hug. "And listen, you're Maya's mother. You have every right to ask her about him, you know."

"I don't want to intrude," Katy answered.

"Have you thought that maybe Maya _wants_ you to intrude?" Topanga asked.

 **.**

"Tell me about Josh," Katy whispered to Maya that night, sitting down beside her daughter.

"Josh?" Maya repeated looking up from the canvas she was prepping.

"I know you like him, Maya," Katy said. "It took me a while to pick up on it but I know you like him. I want to know about him."

"He's a good guy," Maya assured her.

"I don't doubt that," Katy answered. "What makes him so special? What attracted you to him? I want to know everything."

Maya got a far off look in her eyes and bit her bottom lip, like she was trying to piece a story together. "I don't know. It happened the first time I went to Philly with Riley. He was sitting on the counter, helping his mom make cookies and I just knew."

"How? You couldn't have even been 10 at the time," Katy said.

"I don't know," Maya replied. "There weren't any blinding flash, there was no crashing chord. It began quietly, I didn't even know what love was back then. I do know I almost lost it. . ."

"After the divorce?" Katy asked quietly.

Maya nodded, her eyes welling up. "We would talk at night when I couldn't sleep. He would play his guitar and sing me to sleep. And one day, the summer after dad left, he found my smile."

Katy remembered that day. She had been petrified she was going to lose her daughter to depression for good when she came waltzing into the apartment, wearing one of Riley's dresses and smiling like she hadn't in a long time. She could vaguely remember Topanga mentioning Josh being the reason Maya was smiling again.

"What else?"

"We can't be together yet," Maya confessed. "He's three years older than I am and he could get in trouble if we were in a relationship. But we're friends right now and one day, when the time is right we're going to get together. We just have to be patient. It's hard but we're dealing with it."

"With frequent visits and long wistful stares?" Katy teased.

"Something like that."

"Thank you for telling me," Katy said.

 **.**

There were parts of Joshua and Maya's relationship that only Katy got to see. Like how when they were apart for too long, Maya would fret about forever and if there really was such a thing as true love. She would worry that maybe Josh would wind up resenting her because they had been tied to each other longer than any normal high school boy was normally tied to one person. She would wonder if they were truly meant to be or if she was just wasting her time.

Katy and Kermit's relationship had seemingly ruined her for relationships the way Topanga and Cory's relationship had ruined their children for anything but long-term relationships.

Katy knew Maya's fears weren't misplaced. Cory and Topanga were the exception, Katy and Kermit were the rule. But she also knew with unshakable certainty that the Matthews boys weren't Kermit, they loved fervently and they loved long and steady and deeply.

It was always a happy day when Josh showed up in town again. All of Maya's fears evaporated while Josh always seemed to know that she needed assurance that everything was going to be okay between them. She wasn't needy, she was just a little insecure.

And Josh dealt with her insecurities well.

 **.**

Katy listened at the door as the pair bickered back and forth. She wasn't worried that it would affect them as friends or as something more. Nobody was perfect. Every relationship had its up and its downs, it was what they did when they weren't getting along that made it stronger or broke it completely.

She peered out of the ajar door and watched as Maya tried to walk away from Josh but he grabbed her by the shoulders and held her firmly in place, looking at her with a serious expression.

"You can't just walk away," he told her. "You're the one who came to see me the last time we fought, it's my turn."

"You forgot we were supposed to meet for breakfast."

"So? I forgot! It doesn't mean we're over, Maya. Sometimes people forget things, it doesn't mean they don't care."

"It does in my life," Maya retorted.

"I'm not your father," Josh told her quietly.

Maya sighed and rested her forehead against his chest. "I know. I'm just afraid."

"Don't be," Josh whispered, pulling her into a fierce embrace. "Don't be. I'm always going to try my hardest not to let you down and if I ever do, please try and have understanding for me. I am only human after all, I'm not a white knight or a superhero with a cape."

"Okay," Maya whispered back. "I'll try."

 **.**

They went to the Cape Cod with the Matthews family and Shawn. There were a lot of long days where Josh and Maya would disappear all by themselves to do who knew what, barely asking permission to leave as they ran out the door. These were more moments that Katy didn't get to witness and even though Maya was letting her in a little more, she still was more out of the loop than the other people in her life.

The price of being a single-parent.

But she was thankful for the moments she got to see them share while they were on vacation together. The way Josh looked at Maya while they ate house made ice cream or how they would hold hands as soon as they were off the porch steps.

Katy was impatiently waiting with everybody else for the moment they could be more than friends. It was going to be beautiful.

 **.**

Except Maya's 18th birthday came and went and nothing happened. Josh still showed up in New York and they would do the things that friends did while it meant something so much more. But they didn't cross the line over into something more.

Katy knew they still had feelings for each other, that they probably even loved each other but there was something holding them back. She couldn't imagine what it was except maybe they were afraid to ruin the delicate balance that was their friendship. If they did become something more and it didn't work out, it would ruin everything.

She felt the same way about Shawn. She liked him, she wanted to be with him but she didn't want a rerun of Kermit and their broken marriage. She knew Shawn felt the same way about her, so they kept each other at arm's length. Continuing on as friends and going out together but never taking the steps to be something more. 

They both agreed one night that they didn't want Josh and Maya making the same mistakes as they were though. But they didn't know what to do, didn't want to interfere. A long time ago, when Josh and Maya had become Josh and Maya, everybody had gotten together and agreed to let them do their own thing without pushing them together or making them feel like they should be something more than they were ready to be.

So, they agreed to wait. 

Because eventually they had to break and finally get together.

 **.**

It happened at the stroke of midnight New Year's Eve when everybody else around them was exchanging kisses on the mouth. They did it because they didn't want to be left out, which Katy didn't exactly agree with, but afterwards when they had both separated and run away from the living room, she hoped something good would come of it.

 **.**

They were together almost instantly after that. There were lots of kisses at midnight and cuddling during movies and when they got engaged a year later, Katy couldn't be happier to call Josh her son-in-law, he had proven to be exactly what Maya needed over the years.

He had taught her true love really existed and he hadn't ever left her when the going had gotten tough and Maya had needed that from somebody other than Riley to show her that, because best friend's usually stayed for better or for worse.

The Hart women were used to men leaving when the going got tough.

So, Josh staying as long as he had and beyond was the most refreshing thing in the world for the both of them.

As Katy walked her daughter down the aisle, she was happy to give her away to a happily ever after.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **I am not going to lie, this story was pretty hard to write. We don't completely know Katy yet and but I didn't want her to be a negligent mother. I wanted her to be somebody who was preoccupied with giving Maya the best possible life from what means they had. As for "Shaty," I do like them but I didn't make them a huge part of the story because this is about Josh and Maya. But I have a head canon that they do get together eventually in this AU.**

 **The song that Maya was singing is from** _ **Finding Neverland, the musical**_ **. It is called "What You Mean to Me". It was the inspiration for this particular story, I would recommend it to you for your listen pleasure.**

 **I'll be back next week with something new. I hope you will tell me what you thought of this installment in the meantime!**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Love,**

 **Holly, 9/4/2015_**


	7. Shawn Hunter

**Casual Observers: The Older Brother's Best Friend**

 **A Josh and Maya Story**

 **By Brown Eyes Parker**

 **Shout-outs: Guest, madisons15694, K, skygazer13, Hoalover716, Guest, Frogster, Guest, and Guest**

 **Rated: K+**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **.**

 **Chapter 7**

 _The Older Brother's Best Friend_

Shawn Hunter had been gone for a very, very long time.

Somehow, Josh Matthews had grown up while he had been gone. He was easily the best looking Matthews brother, with easy charm and a smile that would make any girl go weak in the knees.

Shawn was sure girls were falling all over themselves just to go out on a date with him. But if the way Josh and the pint-sized blonde girl were looking at each other was anything to go by, they probably didn't have much luck snagging him. He was clearly very smitten with his niece's best friend.

He made a mental note to ask Cory how long _that_ had been going on.

 **.**

"It's been going on since forever," Cory answered a couple weeks later when they'd all gone to Upstate New York together.

" _Forever_ , Cor?" Shawn asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. " _Forever_ has to be a stretch."

Cory rolled his eyes. "Okay, so it's been going on since they met a few years ago when we brought Maya with us to Philly for the summer. It might as well be _forever_ , Shawnie."

"Oh lord, it's like you and Topanga all over again!" Shawn said, taking a sip of his black coffee.

"Hardly!" Cory scoffed. "Topanga and I met before we were born, Shawn."

"Here we go again."

"Maya and Josh have a few more years on us," Cory continued like he hadn't said anything at all. "And another thing is, Josh is three years older than Maya. Topanga and I are the same age. There is no way that they're like me and Topanga."

"Fact, when a Matthews boy falls, they fall forever," Shawn answered.

"Except for Eric," Cory reminded him.

"I bet if Rachel would have let him, he would have fallen hard for her," Shawn said, having an answer prepared for everything Cory would throw at him. He was in the mood to talk back and he was sure his best friend was used to it, given his chosen profession.

"Fact. they're better off as friends. And don't change the subject, I thought you wanted to talk about Maya and Josh."

"They like each other?"

"It's like major league stuff," Cory answered gleefully. "Except the age difference is probably going to become a huge deal but they'll both get over it eventually and everything will be back on track."

Shawn looked over at Josh and Maya who were stealing glances at each other when they didn't think the other one was looking. When they caught each other's eyes, they looked away from each other as they blushed.

He wondered how long they would be _off track_ before they'd be back on track. He would bet all of the money in his bank account that it wouldn't be too long before they were something more pretending to just be friends.

 **.**

"Do you think _he'll_ notice the difference?" Shawn overheard Maya ask Riley a little while after they had gone shopping for her new wardrobe.

"Who's _he'll_?" Riley replied before bursting into giggles, like her question was hysterical.

"Come on Riles! You know who I mean!" Maya answered. "Do you think _Josh_ is going to notice the difference?"

"I don't want to think about it!" Riley said, giggling a little bit. "Even though I bet he totally will! I don't think he'll be able to take his eyes off of you. You really do look lovely, Maya."

Shawn wished he would be able to see Josh's reaction to Maya's new look. But he was off on an assignment soon and he didn't know when he was going to be back. His schedule was pretty full for the next few months, he was pretty much going to be stuck in Europe. It wouldn't have bothered him before.

But now he was reconnecting with Cory and Topanga and their kids. He had a surrogate daughter of sorts and a crush on her mother. For the first time in forever, he wanted to stay put. He wanted to see what Life had to offer him in New York. It had to be more than anything traveling around Europe for his job had to offer.

He also knew if any of it was meant to be, it would all still be waiting for him when he got back from Europe.

And the saga of Josh & Maya wasn't really any of his business. They had a million other people overseeing it and he knew if he asked, Cory would keep him updated with novel length emails about what was going on between the younger pair.

 **.**

When he came back from Europe three months later, one of the first things he did was go to Cory and Topanga's apartment because they were giving him a welcome home meal. He was excited to be home, to see everybody again.

Cory's descriptive emails had been a nice way to keep updated on things on the homefront. But he was still thankful to be able to see things firsthand again, to see Katy face-to-face because absence had made the heart grow a little bit fonder and he wanted to see if there was anything there.

If she could be the one.

He wanted to see Josh and Maya in person and not just on a screen. He trusted Cory's word on what was going on but it was still different getting to see what everybody else got to see in person.

If only he would be so lucky.

When he stepped out of the taxi late that afternoon, it was like fate was on his side. Standing on the porch steps in the milky twilight with a jazzy saxophone playing on the street corner were Maya and Josh.

She was a mini Grace Kelly in a golden cocktail dress and white heels and he was a sort of Cary Grant in jeans and a sports jacket and red Chucks. They were standing a little too close and chatting earnestly, not ever looking away from each other. It was like a still from a movie.

Shawn lifted his camera and snapped a picture of the two of them. The moment, their look, it was too perfect not to capture on camera for as long as they both should live.

After he had taken their picture, he cleared his throat to alert them to their presence. They both turned around at the same time and looked at him.

Josh grinned, oblivious to being caught as he hopped off the steps, taking Maya with him. Shawn hugged them both at the same time, smirking slightly as they both got tangled up together in his arms.

"How's it going?" He asked.

"Good!" Josh and Maya chorused together.

If he was younger, he would have asked them if they were together yet and teased them mercilessly despite what they had answered. But he wasn't in high school anymore and even though he could still make jokes at their expense, he knew that Cory wouldn't be thrilled if he found out about it.

Cory wanted everybody to wait for and not rush them into anything or push them away from each other.

So, Shawn didn't say anything to anybody. But he did frame their picture and give them each a copy for Christmas that year.

He felt a little bit of a thrill when he saw them each do a double-take, shocked that a private moment between them had been captured. It seemed like they didn't know anybody had glimpses of their shared moments.

"Oh come on!" Auggie said. "It isn't like we don't know what's going on between the two of you. Do you think we're stupid!?"

Cory looked panicked. "Auggie! Josh and Maya are only _friends_."

Shawn hid a smirk as his harried best friend tried to shut his youngest up while Josh and Maya sheepishly avoided each other's gazes.

Later on, when everybody else was busy making dinner, Josh and Maya snuck away. Shawn followed them because he was insanely curious like everybody else in the family was to see what happened next.

"Auggie's just a silly kid," Maya told him in a low voice. "You know that, right?"

"So there isn't anything going on between us then?" Josh teased, his voice was equally as low.

"We're just friends right now, right? I'm still too young for you."

"Yes," Josh agreed. "But we still have an understanding, right?"

"Of course we do," Maya answered. "I don't think my feelings for you are ever going to go away, Josh."

"Good. Now, I have something for you. I didn't want to give it to you in front of everybody else though," Josh said.

That was when Shawn left because he knew he would truly be intruding on their moment if he stayed and watched them any longer. Josh had waited until they had privacy for a reason and he was going to respect that.

 **.**

Shawn collected pictures of Josh and Maya and put them away for their someday. For someday when they were ready to admit what they really were to each other. For someday when they could be more than friends. He kept them to himself, collecting them in a large photo album for a time when the two of them would be ready to actually admit what had been going on between them their whole entire lives.

 **.**

One of his favorite photographs was one that he had taken of the two of them in the Cape Cod. Shawn had snapped a picture of Josh as he had pulled Maya towards the ocean by the holes of her sweater, threatening to throw her into the water as she protested through fits of giggles. Josh was chuckling too as they spun each other around the beach. Josh had finally grabbed Maya by the waist, causing her to kick at the air, her limbs failing everywhere.

It had ended with them both flat on their backs in the sand in a fit of laughter as they struggled to help each other up.

There had been a series of pictures that particular afternoon, all in tones of black & white. He could have used them in his travel magazine and people would have fallen in love with the young friends and with the location as well.

But when he mentioned it to Cory, he told him that it would be a bad idea because if they saw it, they would probably react the way they had that Christmas he had given them the framed pictures.

Shawn knew he was right.

He didn't want to create two scared versions of himself and Katie.

So, he left it alone.

 **.**

Maya's 18th birthday came and passed and Shawn expected them to get together soon afterwards, he was fully prepared to pull Josh aside and give him a carefully crafted speech, filling the roll as her father.

But days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, and pretty soon Maya had been 18 for 11 months without a hint of their getting together. And nobody was stepping in to do anything about it.

Cory, Riley, Lucas and Farkle had tried back in the spring at the senior prom to get them together but their plan had failed and they had left it alone after that, saying they would get together when they got together.

If it ever happened.

Shawn was watching them watch the New Year's Eve special on ABC, wondering _what_ it was going to take for them to get together officially.

And then it all happened in a blink of an eye. They were counting down to the New Year and everybody was kissing, including the two of them because it was better to do it than feel left out.

The kiss lasted longer than anybody else's did.

When they broke apart, they both retreated to opposite ends of the house as quickly as they could. Cory followed his brother, Riley followed Maya. While everybody else waited to see what would happen next, the tension of not knowing how this particular chapter ended was so thick, Shawn could feel it coming from everybody in the room.

Ava and Auggie chatted amongst themselves. Shawn could hear snatches of their whispered conversation. They were the most certain everything was going to end the way it should by the end of the night and forever afterwards.

Shawn hoped for Maya and Josh's sake this was the case.

He still had residue doubt leftover from when he was younger though and now that things were probably going to work out for the best, he couldn't help but think of all the things that could go wrong.

 **.**

Except things didn't go wrong.

Not for Josh and Maya.

They fell into a happily ever after quickly and easily, they rarely ever argued. And when they did, it was just about what movie they would go to on Friday night. One day, they were going to ruin what relationships looked like for other people, quite like Cory and Topanga had when they had all been growing up. Even though Cory still insisted Josh and Maya were their own story.

But not many couples even started out the way Josh and Maya had. As friends, knowing someday when the timing was right, they were going to get together and get a real life version of the fairy tale ending that was as old as time.

 **.**

They were engaged exactly one year later. Josh came to Shawn and sought his blessing to ask Maya to marry him, because she was the only father figure that she had ever known. Shawn was more than happy to give it to him, especially after he found out Katy was okay with it too.

He knew he would treat her the way she deserved to be treated. He had already proved that to be true on countless occasions.

 **.**

He photographed their wedding.

He'd already been taking pictures of them for years, photographing their wedding was the cherry on top of it all. His favorite pictures to take out of all the ones he had ever taken of them.

It was on their wedding day, he finally gave them all the pictures he had ever taken of them. It was finally the right time and right place to do it.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry this took me so long to write. I've had a lot going on in my life and this took longer to write than I would have liked. Shawn is harder to write than I thought he would be! I outlined Eric's story this past weekend, so I'm hoping that it'll be a little easier if I know what I'm writing. Thank you for your patience, I hope you will tell me what you think. And again, just because "Shaty" didn't happen in this chapter, doesn't mean I am against it. They just aren't the focus of the story.**

 **After Eric, I should write Allen's POV and then I will get into the younger set of the cast. I am also thinking about adding Isadora to the lineup of observers. Let me know what you think and** _ **please**_ **DO NOT mention Lucas again! I'm definitely going to write this story from his POV just give it time. We're going to get there.**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Love,**

 **Holly, 9/13/2015_**


	8. Eric Matthews

**Casual Observers: Mr. Squirrels**

 **A Josh and Maya Story**

 **By Brown Eyes Parker**

 **Shout-outs: jhansikirani17025, Guest, skygazer13, Guest, Hoalover716, Guest, and lalaland**

 **Rated: K+**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **There is a scene in** _ **And Older Brothers**_ **where Eric and Cory have a conversation about Josh & Maya. For the sake of this story, I've tweaked it a little bit. It won't be an exact replica of what transpired between Cory and Eric in the second installment of this series. Forgive me the on purpose inconsistencies, please.**

 **.**

 **Chapter 8**

 _Mr. Squirrels_

More than fifty-percent of the time Eric Matthews really had no idea what was going on. Most of the time it was because he was oblivious to things but sometimes it was just because his family was mean and wouldn't clue him in on what was going on. There was the very _rare_ occasion he knew exactly what was going on.

Such was the case when it came to his youngest brother Josh and their niece's best friend Maya Hart. Sure, they may have been really young (Eric wasn't sure of their ages, he just knew they weren't in high school or remotely around his age), but they looked so good together at Morgan's wedding, they didn't leave each other's side for a second and they danced to song after song, he was sure they would get dizzy and collapse into a heap on the dance floor.

But they didn't even collapse after the wedding was over, they were the only two awake as he drove the kids home, high on cake and Jordan almonds and punch, chatting the whole drive away. They didn't even stop to take a breath, Eric wanted to tell them to slow down a bit but when he glanced in the mirror and saw the looks of pure joy on their face, he couldn't.

They were two of the cutest kids in the world and his heart was melting. He drove on and just listened to them, trying not to wish that he had found his person when he was just a little boy.

 **.**

"Guess who I saw today," Eric teased Josh a few years later.

"Kate Upton?" Josh guessed and Eric could picture him rolling his eyes because Josh hated playing guessing games with his older brother.

"Nope."

"Rachel?" Josh guessed again.

"Oh come on, you know I see her every Sunday for brunch," Eric said, rolling _his_ eyes this time. "Today is Friday Josh. Duh."

"Jack?"

"I don't even know where Jack is right now," Eric answered. "Come on, think about it!"

"Eric, just tell me who you saw. I don't have time to do this right now, I have _so_ much homework!" Josh grumbled.

"I saw _Morticia,_ " Eric replied. "Do you remember Morticia? Your old girlfriend from years and years ago."

"Do you mean _Maya_?" Josh asked.

"That's what I said," Eric said. "I saw Morticia at Cory's school today."

Josh groaned. "Eric, Morticia is a character on _the Addams Family_. _Maya_ is a student at Cory's school. And big deal, you saw Maya. I see her all the time."

"You do!? Are you two actually seeing each other? If you know what I mean."

"Nooooo! She's _three_ years younger than me!"

"Then how are you _seeing_ her all the time? Do you see dead people?"

"Eric, Maya isn't dead. Besides, you can see her too. I've just been going to New York a lot since Christmas."

"Reealllly? Why? Does May-Lynn have anything to do with it?"

"Maya has nothing to do with it," Josh answered, his voice a little higher than usual. "I just like visiting our family."

"And Molly is an added bonus, isn't she?"

"Molly isn't remotely close to her name!" Josh told him. "I have to go Eric, lots of homework. I'll talk to you later. Love you, 'bye Eric."

"Love you too," Eric answered, the phone clicking off before he could add one more teasing remark to their conversation.

There would be plenty more opportunities for teasing though, of that he was sure.

Josh and Maya weren't going to know what hit them.

 **.**

"So, have you seen Mona lately?" Eric asked Josh, leaning against the counter and raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Her name is _Maya_ , Eric. _My-ah_."

"Oooh, somebody's got a crush!" Eric sang. "Somebody's got a crush, somebody's got a crush. Somebody's got a crush."

" _Eric!"_

"Somebody's got a crush! Somebody's got a crush!"

"She's too young for me!" Josh protested.

"I didn't hear a _no_!" Eric said.

Josh made a face and walked away.

" _De_ Nile isn't a river in Egypt, Joshua!" Eric called after him, laughing to himself a little bit.

"Do you even hear yourself sometimes?" Josh called back, stopping short. "But by any chance, do you know how Maya was when you last saw her?"

"She was fine when I saw her 1 hour and 49 minutes ago," Eric said, smirking. "Why? Who wants to know?"

" _Eric!"_ Josh said in exasperation, leaving him alone for real this time.

 **.**

"Do you know why Josh and Mae would be perfect for each other?" Eric asked his parents while they all ate dinner together.

"This oughta be good," Alan muttered dryly to Amy. "For starters, he can't even remember the girl's actual name."

"Why would _Maya_ and I make such a great couple?" Josh asked, even though Eric knew he was going to regret asking him in a few minutes.

"Because you both thought Robin and Barney should have ended up together and Robin and Ted are your NOtp!"

Alan dropped his fork, his mouth slightly agape. "Are you even using _English_ , Eric!?"

"NOtp is a word people use when they really dislike a pairing on TV," Amy explained. "What? I read Urban Dictionary."

Alan sighed. "Eric just because Josh and Maya both wanted a fictional couple to end up together on a fictional TV show doesn't make them 'perfect' for each other, you do know that. Right?"

"What? It's _shared_ interests, Dad!" Eric protested. "They both share a strong hatred for Ted, come on! It would be perfect."

"They can't end up together because they have a shared disdain for a _fictional_ character, Eric!" Alan said, looking at him like he wanted to slap him upside the head. "Use your head, son!"

"Well at least they have something in common," Eric grumbled as he pushed his peas around his plate.

"Eric, how many times do I have to tell you that she's too young for me!?"

"Oh, the lady doth protest too much!"

"I'm not a girl!"

"He's not a girl, Eric! Just leave him alone and we can have a nice family dinner," Alan said. _"Please."_

So, Eric dropped it for the time being but the subject was far from over as far as he was concerned. Josh hadn't seen or heard from the last of his teasing yet.

And it was time to turn his attention on Maya too. He had been neglecting her for too long.

 **.**

"I saw Josh the other day," Eric mentioned to Cory, watching for Maya's reaction from the corner of his eye.

Cory frowned. "I know, you told me that when you got here. What are you doing Eric? You're being weird again."

"Am I? Am I really?" Eric asked, laughing almost manically.

Cory's eyes narrowed and Eric knew this was one of the times his younger brother really didn't get him. But he wasn't going to tell him what was going on because Cory was just going to tell him to stop and he was having too much fun to do _that_.

Besides, he still hadn't gotten a reaction from Maya yet. He took a deep breath and was about to repeat that he had seen Josh for a third time when Riley dragged Maya away on the guise of doing their homework. Eric was confused, clearly there was something else going on that nobody was telling him about.

Again.

Maybe there were some feelings leftover from childhood and he really wasn't being funny. Even if _that_ were true, he it wasn't going to stop him from trying to get a reaction from the both of them. Because even though it might not have been funny anymore, it was still _fun_.

 **.**

"I like Margie very much but not in _that way_ ," Eric told Josh one night just to get a reaction out of him.

Josh pushed air through his lips. " _Maya_. Her name is _Maya_ , how many times do I have to tell you!?"

Eric smirked. "For somebody who doesn't like her, you sure mention her name a lot."

"Eric. . ."

Suddenly, something dawned on Eric. "Wait a second I just realized something, you've never _denied_ liking her!"

"I've already had this conversation more than once," Josh muttered, still not saying _I don't like her_ _like that_ , he even forgot to mention the age difference this time.

"Josh and Maya sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Eric sang, grinning at Josh and dancing around like an idiot.

"Oh that's real mature, Eric," Alan scolded as he retrieved a couple of Cokes from the fridge for him and Amy. "Why don't you stop teasing your brother already?"

"Because it's _hysterical_ ," Eric answered.

Josh just shook his head as he started up the stairs. "I'll be in my room, if anybody needs me."

"What?" Eric asked when he saw his father glaring at him. "It's funny! And it isn't like the two of them have actual real feelings for each other. Right?"

"Oh, I don't know," Alan answered. "Have you ever actually paid any real _attention_ to Josh and Maya?"

"No. Not really, except that one time. . . but I thought it was just kid stuff, dad!" Eric protested. "They were like _ten_ and. . ."

He trailed off, realizing how lame his argument sounded. He had been so intent on making Josh and Maya's relationship a game, he had lost sight of the truth. The truth he had known ever since he had seen them dancing at Morgan's wedding.

Josh and Maya liked each other.

It was like lightning striking the same place twice. Except this time it was a story of two boys from the same family falling for girls at a very young age and Life was keeping them together through all her ups and downs.

Eric was awestruck by how amazing it all really was.

He knew he was going to have to move forward with reverence from then on out and treat the thing that was blossoming between Josh and Maya with the sort of respect it deserved. From then on out, he was going to try and sit back and just observe what was between them like everybody else had been doing.

It was what he should have been doing all along.

 **.**

When Eric really started to pay attention to Josh and Maya, he was spellbound.

Yes, they only acted in a way that friends did but there was always something right under the surface. A whisper of love that would spark into something very real and true from the way the two of them kept fanning the flames even though they would _both_ sprout off that they were only friends if anybody asked.

And what a sweet friendship it was.

Eric didn't get to see them together very often but when he did see them, it was a plethora of shared secrets and inside jokes and handfuls of caramels because it was Maya's second favorite candy.

And Josh always did stuff like bring Maya's second favorite candy because anybody could bring a person's favorite candy, knowing their second favorite candy was what made the relationship really special. It meant they really knew each other.

When Eric heard Josh tell Maya this, he wanted to relentlessly tease him about it because he was saying and doing the same wussy things that Corey had done with Topanga. But then Cory had gotten the girl, Eric was the former mayor of St. Upidtown and a senator in New York with no wife or girlfriend to his name. So, he rose above it and didn't say anything to either of his love sick brothers.

 **.**

Eric couldn't believe his eyes. Maya and Josh were kissing in the middle of Broadway, underneath the _Finding Neverland_ marquee and to a couple advertising the opening of an off-Broadway revival of _Carousel_ through a monologue. He kept his eyes trained on them, afraid if he blinked he would find out he had imagined the whole thing.

But his eyes were watering from keeping them wide open, so he _had_ to blink.

When he opened his eyes again, the moment was over and they were just staring at each other while the main male character from _Carousel_ was going on about saying something about how the main female character was looking up at him with a little kid's face like she trusted him.

From where Eric stood, Maya looked exactly like the character did when she was looking at Josh.

Eric smirked to himself, everybody had been buzzing about when Josh and Maya would get together or at least kiss and he had gotten to witness their first time, so to speak. He was proud of the fact. Except he couldn't tell anybody it had happened.

He knew nobody would ever believe him.

Especially when he got to Cory's apartment and found Maya and Josh on the couch watching reruns of cartoons with Ava and Auggie.

"What are you two doing here?" He blurted out without saying hello.

Auggie rolled his eyes. "I live here Uncle Eric."

"What are _Moresha and Josh_ doing here!?" Eric clarified.

Auggie frowned. "Who's Moresha?"

"I think he means Maya, Auggie," Ava answered, rolling her eyes at her uncle-in-law. "Maya and Josh are babysitting us," she informed him.

"I thought. . . I thought. . ." Eric trailed off, very confused about what was going on. "But where's everybody else?"

"Riley and Farkle are working on a school project at his house and my parents are on a date night," Auggie answered, stuffing some popcorn in his mouth. "Ava's parents are out of town. She's staying with us for a few days."

"Oh. . ."

"What did you think was going on, Eric?" Josh asked, amused by his oldest brother's confusion.

"Never you mind!" Eric answered. "I have important state stuff to do, I'll see you guys later. 'Bye!"

 **.**

They were in the Cape Cod for a family vacation and they had all gone to some sort of music festival in East Falmouth. Josh and Maya were dancing together, spinning around and around in ripped jeans and Cape Cod sweatshirts to a Gabrielle Aplin song. Maya's thick fishtail braid swung around her waist as Josh picked her up and whirled her around.

Eric watched them as he ate fried seafood and drank Budweiser beer. It was like they had been dancing together even before Morgan's wedding all those years ago. They fit together, like two puzzle pieces and he was getting impatient.

He was a senator. He knew state laws pretty well (or he at least liked to make people think that he did) and there wouldn't be anything wrong with them getting together. Not in New York City anyways, he wondered what was keeping them from getting together in more than name only.

There were a lot of things that Senator Eric Matthews didn't get.

 **.**

"Josh and Maya!" Eric said one day over root beer floats and Goldfish with Cory and Eric.

Cory looked a little surprised. "How long have you known?"

"Um, I dunno. Forever? I mean, I forgot about it for a long time, so I teased Josh about it _forever_ and then one day, I didn't forget anymore. How could you have _not_ known?"

Cory shook his head. "Eric, I've _always_ known! Ever since we brought Maya to Philly for the first time."

"Our little brother, who'd have ever thought he would turn out like _you_?"

"He isn't like _me_!" Cory scoffed. "Believe me, he's 100 percent his _own_ person. Just because he found his person earlier than most people doesn't mean anything at all."

Eric slurped down his root beer float and nodded. "Well, at least they're good friends even if they aren't together yet. That's as good a foundation as any," he said, it was one of his rare smarter moments.

Cory smiled. "There is _that_ ," he agreed.

 **.**

It was rainy hard.

Maya looked out the Matthews window before dropping the curtain back in place. "I really should go home before the storm gets too bad, my mother is probably home from work already and I promised we would have dinner together."

Eric stopped reading _Flat Stanley_ to Auggie and Ava and looked at Maya. "You could just call her and tell her you're staying here," he suggested.

"Or I could walk you to your apartment," Josh said. "I have an umbrella."

"You _could_ walk her home," Eric interjected, smiling slyly. He liked the idea of the two of them huddled under an umbrella and splashing through the streets of New York as they tried to avoid getting rained on. His only regret was that they would miss it.

If only it wouldn't be very creepy to follow them.

 **.**

18 came and went, along with Maya's high school graduation. They still didn't ask each other out or make their relationship official. Eric was on edge, he wanted to use all his power to force them together but Cory kept telling him that if he forced it, he might scare them off and they might _never_ get together if he did that.

So, he waited.

Impatiently.

For anything to happen.

 **.**

When they _finally_ kissed at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, it was all Eric could do _not_ to scream _yes!_ over and over again while he fist pumped the air. He was calm and collected on the outside while Josh and Maya both ran in different directions when they had finally pulled away from each other.

Eric started to talk after a while, trying to distract everybody while they waited for Josh and Cory and Maya and Riley to come back and be okay.

While they waited for Josh and Maya to find each other and _finally_ be the way everybody else wanted them to be.

 **.**

"I'm still not always going to call you _Maya_ ," Eric told her the day that Maya married her brother.

Maya smiled radiantly. "I know."

"But I _am_ glad you're my sister," Eric continued as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Welcome to the family Maya Matthews."

"You don't know how good _that_ sounds," Maya replied as he let go of her and she went to find Josh for their first dance.

And Eric watched as they whirled around and around to the song they had been dancing to since they were two little kids who had no idea what they were in for.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note II:**

 **The "kiss" on Broadway is up to your interpretation, if you want them to kiss then they kissed. If you think Eric imagined it, that's okay too. But since I outlined Eric's chapter, I never really decided if they kissed or not. I wanted to leave it up to you guys. Anyways, look at me updating on time! I was a little distracted by things (the mention of Robin and Barney is a direct nod to that) but I wanted to get this out today for you guys, so I've spent spare time writing.**

 **Second order of business, I am going out of town for two weeks starting next Friday. I am hoping to have access to a computer while I am there. But if I don't, I will update one last time next Thursday and try get a few of these written while I'm in New England.**

 **Please tell me what you thought of this. Eric was another difficult character to write because I want to stay true to him but at the same time, I don't think he's the stupidest guy in the room.**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Love,**

 **Holly, 9/18/2015_**


	9. Alan Matthews

**Shout-outs: Hoalover716, AngelD98, Guest, Guest and skygazer13**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing at all.**

 **Rated: K+**

 **.**

 **Chapter 9**

 _The Father_

He was too old for this.

It was like Cory and Topanga all over again and Alan Matthews didn't know if he could handle it a second time around, he was getting too old for young love.

He was too young to be in love with anybody!

He was too young to even be in _like_ with anybody!

But Alan knew he was in for it when he saw the way his youngest son was looking at his granddaughter's best friend. He wasn't even eating his dinner and pizza was his favorite meal of all time. He was just letting his food grow cold while he watched Maya eat and giggle with Riley, while she stole glances in his direction every now and then before looking away and giggling even more.

Good lord, Alan moaned to himself, the feelings were growing! The young pair was in mutual like with _each other_.

Except there was the one time when he walked into the living room and discovered them dancing around the living room to an old song. They weren't the best dancers by any means but they put their best efforts in, trying to dance the way they had seen Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers do it in an old movie the night before.

But since they weren't professionally trained, they were getting all the steps completely wrong and having a lot of fun doing it in the process. Alan smiled as he watched the two of them together and for the first time that summer he didn't think it would be that bad if Josh and Maya knew at a young age that they were meant for each other.

 **.**

"Maya's the most coolest girl ever," Josh told his dad as they went fishing a couple of weeks after Cory, Topanga and the girls had gone back to New York. He stopped for a minute and reflected. "And she's the prettiest too. Well, next to Mom and Topanga, of course."

"Maya's pretty special, isn't she?" Alan asked.

Josh nodded vigorously. "I used to think I'd grow up and marry mom but when I saw Maya, I kind of started to wonder how marrying mom was even possible."

"Come on son, you're a little too young to be thinking about marriage," Alan said.

"I like her," Josh answered. "I like her a lot."

"I know you do buddy. There's nothing wrong with liking her. But how about you finish school and get a job before you think about getting married? You know you're only 8, there's plenty of time to grow up and fall in love."

"I want to be grown up _now_!" Josh said as he reeled his line in and baited the hook again.

"Don't wish your life away!" Alan chided. "It'll go by fast enough and then you'll have a couple of kids and a mortgage and you'll wish you were a single little boy again."

"Not if Maya's in the picture," Josh replied with so much determination, Alan was reminded of Cory all over again.

"Concentrate on growing up first and letting Maya grow up," Alan said, knowing there was no way he could argue with love, he had never been able to.

"Then?" Josh asked.

"Then we'll talk," Alan said.

 **.**

He had been worried for nothing. Because for the most part, Cory and Topanga dealt with Josh and Maya. Especially when Josh grew up and started to rush off to New York every opportunity he got. Yes, he was still involved because the last time he had checked, he was still the father. He hadn't handed _that_ right over to Cory but at the same time it was nice that he didn't have to deal with constant chatter about Maya from Josh.

Except there were times Eric would goad Josh about Maya in front of Alan and Amy. But Alan was almost certain it was because Eric really didn't have any clue about what was going on. It still didn't stop him from stepping in when the teasing got to be too much and from telling Eric off because even if he didn't know, it didn't give him a license to make fun of the young pair.

Besides, the grateful look Josh always gave him was always very satisfying.

 **.**

One night he heard whispering in the hallway. Alan opened his eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them, groaning slightly. He was definitely too old to deal with sneaking teenagers, he was just about to wake Amy up and have her go deal with them when he remembered that she, Topanga and Maya's and Farkle's mothers had all both escaped to Vermont for a mom's only weekend because the foliage was at its peak and all sorts of nonsense that he didn't want to remember.

They had left him and Cory to deal with the kids that weekend.

He threw back the covers, shoved his feet in slippers and padded out to the hallway to put an end to whatever was happening.

Josh and Maya were standing outside the room where she and Riley were sleeping. They were talking in hushed tones and Alan wasn't sure if they were arguing or if Josh was consoling her.

He hoped to God that they weren't arguing because there was no way he wanted to deal with _that_ so early in the morning. Except there was something about the way Josh was looking at Maya, both hands on her shoulders as he talked to her that told him they weren't arguing.

Alan yawned and walked a little closer, the floorboard creaked and caused them both to look in his direction.

"Maybe you should let Maya go to bed," Alan suggested, trying to look at them sternly but failing miserably.

"Oh, sure!" Josh said, throwing an easy smile in his direction. "I'll see you in the morning, Maya."

"It is the morning son," Alan interjected.

"Right. . . well, I guess I'll see you at breakfast then," Josh said, looking at his father before adding, "Everything's going to be okay."

Maya managed to smile at him. "I know. Thank you Josh. I'll see you at breakfast, goodnight Mr. Matthews."

"Goodnight Maya," Alan answered not unkindly as he nodded for her to go to bed. He turned to Josh and sighed. "We'll talk about it later, son."

Except they didn't talk about it later because there was no sense on busting them when Alan knew they really weren't doing anything they weren't supposed to and he got the feeling that Maya had been dealing with something and Josh had just been trying to help her through it.

He couldn't chew him out for _that_.

 **.**

"How long are you going to let it go on?" Alan asked when they had both gone fishing on their vacation in the Cape Cod.

Josh frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You and Maya," Alan clarified. "How long are you going to let it go on? I think we both know that she's old enough for you to make it official now. You can't spend the rest of your life dancing around each other."

Josh kind of just laughed. "I don't know what you mean."

Alan sighed. "Josh, you know exactly what I mean! You're not stupid!"

Josh sighed too. "You know we're just friends, dad."

Alan rolled his eyes and refrained from asking _why?_ as he dropped his line back into the water.

Afterwards, when they got back to the house from fishing, Josh disappeared with Maya because they had been apart for the whole morning and that was something they _weren't_ used to. As they ran off to do who knew what, Alan rolled his eyes again.

Maybe he was giving his son too much credit.

Maybe he really _was_ just a little stupid. But there was nothing he could do about _that_.

Cory came out on the porch a little bit later and smiled at him.

"Just give it a little time," he said. "It'll happen sooner or later."

 **.**

But it was later rather than sooner.

Another two years went by before anything happened. Maya was almost 19 and Josh was almost 22, it was New Year's Eve and they kissed at the stroke of midnight. It was a little longer than everybody else's was, years of pent up emotions came spilling out in one deft stroke.

When they broke apart, they both ran away without looking at each other. Cory got up from the couch and followed Josh. Cory would deal with it, after years of being a teacher, he had gotten good at dealing with things like this.

Alan sat back and waited.

This would be the night everything changed, he was certain of it.

 **.**

And it was.

After that night, Josh and Maya's whole relationship _finally_ changed. They were no longer dancing around each other or sidestepping the issue at hand, they were really together. Alan was just thankful the whole affair was over and done with even though he really hadn't had much to do with it at all.

Alan could finally breathe easy.

Thankfully, he didn't have any other kids to worry about falling in love when they were too young to do anything about it.

He didn't think he could handle it a third time.

 **.**

They were getting married. Of course it worked out with a wedding and a happily ever after, they were the Matthews family. Fate always smiled happily on them.

As Alan gave Josh and Maya both kisses for luck and slipped them a little bit of extra money for their honeymoon, he decided he wouldn't have had it any other way.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **I do not even know** _ **what**_ **this is! I have been distracted once again and not by Barney and Robin this time. I am trying to get ready for my trip on Friday and that has me all over the place, I apologize for this story. I am hoping some time away will revive my creativity. I feel like everything I'm writing is really bad. That is not me fishing for compliments either. Anyways, I hardly dare ask you to tell me what you thought but I will be wondering.**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Lots of love,**

 **Holly, 9/23/2015_**


	10. Riley Matthews

**Shout-outs: Miss Maniac, GABGM, joshayagmw, Guest, Anisha, skygazer13, lalaland, Hoalover716, Kelsey, Angel1D98 and freshman11**

 **Rated: K+**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **.**

 **Chapter 10**

 _the Best Friend, the Niece_

Even at the tender age of 5, Riley Matthews could tell almost as soon as her best friend and her uncle laid their eyes on each other that it was going to be a very special story just like it was in all the Disney movies. He was looking at her like she was a princess and she was looking at him like he was a prince. Riley couldn't believe Maya's luck.

When Riley got older, she would swear that she was able to hear songs from the Broadway Cinderella when they looked at each other for the first time.

 _Ten minutes ago I saw you, I looked up when you came from the door, my head started reeling, you gave me the feeling the room had no ceiling or floor. Ten minutes ago, I met you and we murmured our how do you dos, I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and to sing out the news, I have found her, she's an angel._

They spent the summer together, playing house and singing _High School Musical_ songs off key and dancing around the living room to old music and Riley was pretty sure they had fallen in love with each other between Scooby Doo reruns and Pixar movie marathons.

Riley for her part, watched and day dreamed about the day when she would find her very _own_ Prince Charming.

 **.**

A year later. Maya's perfect world had come crashing down and she stopped smiling. Riley couldn't _really_ understand why her best friend was so sad but she could hear her parents whisper the word _divorce_ like it was a four-letter word, something you didn't ever say. Especially in front of children or in polite company.

When they did talk about it with her, they told her that Maya's life was going to change forever and she would need her more than ever.

Riley was up to the task.

But she failed miserably. Maya wouldn't smile, somehow it had gotten lost and despite her best efforts, it looked like it wasn't coming back ever again.

Until something magical happened.

Josh came to spend the summer with them while her grandparents went back to Europe for a long overdue second honeymoon. He had only been there a short time when he succeeded in doing what Riley had failed doing all year.

Maya was smiling again in a way only Josh could get her to smile, her eyes shining brighter than they had since the summer before. There was a celebration that night in fluffy princess dresses and with pizza and ice cream and a show on Broadway.

Josh and Maya held hands the whole entire night.

 **.**

Riley watched from the kid's table, her Crayola crayons and coloring pages forgotten as she watched Josh and Maya together on the dance floor. They had been there ever since the music had started to play after dinner, their chicken Marsala had long grown cold as they twisted and turned and spun in their wedding clothes and bare feet, they were laughing together, speaking in a language that only the two of them could understand.

She had joined them occasionally for the Cupid Shuffle and the Cha-Cha Slide but for the most part, she had just watched them and wondered when her turn was going to come. Her mother and father had practically been together since they were in the womb and her aunt Morgan had just married the first guy that she had seriously dated. Josh and Maya would have the same story when they were older, about how they met and nobody else would do.

Riley was definitely having a little visit from the Green-Eyed Monster. She couldn't escape it, no matter how hard she tried.

 **.**

Riley was one hundred percent certain since Josh and Maya had been apart for a while, they would forget all about their childhood infatuation with each other. There was no way Maya was going to be her aunt. _No way!_

Except, now all these years later, they were still looking at each other like a Disney prince and princess did when they saw each other for the first time, it was still like _Ten Minutes Ago_ was playing in the background when they looked at each other. Except, this wasn't the first time they had seen each other, it was maybe the dozenth time they'd seen each other.

It should have started to get old after a while.

Even though she knew from personal experience that it probably never would. Every time she looked at Lucas, it was like seeing him on the subway for the first time. So, no matter how weird it was for her, she knew it would probably never go away for Josh and Maya. Except if their little crush on each other ever faded.

She knew in the back of her mind it wasn't ever going to go away.

Riley didn't want Maya to be her aunt.

 **.**

Every time Josh said he was too old for Maya, Riley knew that he was saying it mostly for his benefit and not to Maya.

Maya just took it personally because she didn't know any better. She didn't know what Josh really meant.

And even though Riley would wince inside every single time Josh said _I'm three years older than you_ , she couldn't help but reiterate it. For Josh's sake and for Maya's. If they did _this_ thing before they were ready, they would only regret it later on, Riley was sure of it.

 **.**

Riley really knew it wasn't just a crush when Maya told the college girls and Andrew and Josh _why_ she liked him. It was the best reasons for a girl to like a boy that she had heard in a long time.

She still didn't want to believe it. She wouldn't believe it. Ignorance was bliss, after all. Maybe one day, Maya would find somebody new and forget all about Josh.

It wasn't likely but she could hope.

 **.**

"I'm just going to ask his advice, Riles!" Maya said as she pulled Josh's number up on speed dial. "It isn't like I'm trying to make him jealous or anything! I want to know what he thinks about me going out with Ross."

"Trust me, Maya, I wouldn't ask him if I were you. It only has the potential to go wrong!" Riley protested. "Besides, are you sure you don't want to make him just a little jealous?"

Maya rolled her eyes. "I'm _sure_ , Riles! Geez. He's my friend, can't a girl ask her friend for advice?"

 _Not when that friend likes you back,_ Riley mentally answered but she didn't say it aloud, she knew it wasn't her place to say anything. Josh would tell Maya how he felt when she was ready.

"Maya just don't! You might regret it!" Riley said, trying to make a grab for Maya's phone.

"Too late!" Maya answered. "He picked up! Hi Josh, it's me! I need to ask your opinion on something. . . okay, somebody asked me out at school today and I wanted to know if I should say yes or not. . ." she trailed off, her eyes growing wide. "No, I'm not trying to make you jealous! It isn't like you're my boyfriend, I can go out with whoever _I_ want! Fine, maybe I _will_ go out with him! You're not lying to me are you? You really don't care? Why did I call you in the first place? I don't know anymore. . . you know what, you can go and _screw_ yourself Josh! I'm hanging up now. You can't tell me what to do!"

Maya threw the phone and growled in frustration. She shot Riley a dirty look. "Don't say anything Riley Matthews!"

Riley shook her head. "I wasn't going to say anything, I swear!"

Maya pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, a distraught look growing on her face. "How could I be stupid!? I shouldn't have called him. I probably wrecked _everything_! He's not going to want to talk to me again! I have to do something!"

Maya started out the door and Riley chased after her, close at her heels.

"Maya, what are you going to do? Don't do anything stupid!"

Topanga stopped her in her tracks. " _What_ is going on!?" she asked.

"Maya and Josh got into a huge fight!" Riley answered, struggling to follow Maya out of the apartment. "I think Riley is going to confront him about it! She can't just leave New York without telling anybody what she's doing or where she's going!"

"I'm pretty sure we know where she's going," Topanga replied.

Riley frowned. "But Josh doesn't like her like that."

"Oh come on sweetie, you can't be that oblivious!" Topanga said not unkindly.

Riley released a deep breath and wrinkled her nose. "I'm really not, mommy! I just don't want to believe it! Because that means Maya might be my aunt some day! And that'll be really weird. But I don't want them to fight, I like it when they get along and are friends."

"I know," Topanga soothed, brushing Riley's hair away from her face. "You don't have to worry about it right now though, they're only old enough to be friends anyways. Come on and help me finish dinner."

"But she's still going to see him!"

"And I'm sure we'll hear all about it when she gets back to New York," Topanga answered, directing Riley to the kitchen.

And her mother was right. When both Maya and Josh came waltzing into the apartment later that night, they both had a lot to say and everything was just the same between them like when they were little kids. But there was something there that wasn't there before too.

 **.**

"I had a really good time tonight," Riley gushed as she and Lucas stood outside her apartment door, drawing out their goodnight.

Lucas smiled bashfully. "I did too."

Riley sighed. "I have to go inside, mom and dad went out on a date too tonight. Josh and Maya are watching Auggie, I promised I wouldn't leave them alone with him for too long."

Lucas nodded in understanding. "Same time next week then?"

"Of course!"

"Good, I'll see you in school on Monday, Riles," Lucas said.

"See you on Monday," Riley replied, pecking him on the cheek before she could stop herself. She fumbled with her keys and unlocked the door, casting glances at Lucas's retreating figure as she did.

When she got inside, she was treated to the sight of another one of Maya and Josh's dances. They had pulled the coffee table out of the way and put on one of Topanga's old Annie Lennox albums and the two of them along with Ava and Auggie were dancing around the living room.

Josh and Maya's movement together had only approved over their years together. They moved with the skill of a couple who had been dancing together for their whole lives. Ava and Auggie had nothing on them even though they were putting their best efforts in to keep up with the older pair.

Josh spun Maya in and out and dipped her and brought her back up again, pulling her a little closer than before, their foreheads touched and Maya closed her eyes as they swayed together to the music.

Riley just watched from the doorway, not in any mood to interrupt them in their moment.

 **.**

"I'm going to ask Josh to prom," Riley told Maya.

"I figured you would!" Riley said. "Do you know what you're going to say when you ask him?"

Maya shook her head. "I don't know. . . I haven't thought about it," she admitted.

"Pretend I'm Josh and practice on me," Riley said.

"I'm not nervous to ask him to come with me!" Maya retorted. "I just don't know what I'm going to say when I ask him to come with me."

"Well, just because you're _not_ nervous to ask him doesn't mean you can't practice," Riley said primly. "It's always good to be prepared, you know. Come on, pretend that I'm Josh!"

Maya rolled her eyes. "Riley, I'm not going to pretend that you're Josh!"

"Oh come on!" Riley wheedled as understanding dawned on her face. "You _are_ nervous to ask him! Oh my gosh!"

"Riley, why are you making a huge deal out of this?"

"Because you're usually so cool and confident!"

"Not when it comes to Josh," Maya answered.

"You have nothing to worry about, I'm sure that he's going to say yes!"

"I'm not worried he'll say no! I'm worried about _asking_ him. I've never asked anybody out before. And Farkle doesn't count! That was for _you_ , Peaches."

Riley smiled. "Pretend I'm Josh," she repeated. "Ask me to the dance the first way it pops in your head. Come on, ask me!"

"Josh. . ."

"Yes?" Riley asked, trying to imitate Josh's voice.

"Josh, do you think you'd like to come to prom with me?" Maya said.

"That's it!?" Riley asked.

"That's the best I've got, Riles!" Maya answered. "You told me to say the first thing that popped in my head and that was the first thing!"

"Well, we have a little bit of time to work on it!" Riley said. "We'll come up with something perfect!"

Except, no matter how much they practiced and rethought what to say, Maya stuck with the first way she was going to ask.

Josh still said yes.

 **.**

Riley thought if anything happened between them, it would happen on prom night. Her and her friends worked it out so it _would_ happen on prom night. They even went as far to have Josh and Maya's song play, Farkle even paid everybody off to clear the dance floor for the none couple.

But the dance ended and the night passed and they still weren't anything more but two friends, forever dancing around the way they really felt about each other. And no matter how hard she tried, Riley couldn't get Maya to talk about how she was really feeling.

 **.**

Maya turned 18, she graduated from high school, she got accepted into the art program at NYU and nothing happened between her and Josh.

Riley held out hope for them, like she had with her and Lucas and Pluto for all the passing years. She knew they were meant to be together whether they were 18 and 21 or 40 and 43. It was just a matter of time, Life would eventually have her way and they would stop being stupid. They would get together and get their happily ever after.

She just knew it.

 **.**

In the summer, they all went on vacation to the Cape.

Josh and Maya spent every waking minute together, doing God knew what. They would run away in the wee small hours of the morning and not come back until night had started to fall, unless they were told to stay put because they were going to do something together.

Even then, they were in a world all of their own.

It was the summer everything changed, they were falling off the cusp of something more and into the real thing for once and for all. It was only a matter of time before it all came to a gigantic head and they had to face their feelings for each other, Riley was sure of it.

 **.**

As long as she lived, Riley was going to remember January 1st. It was the night everything finally imploded. At the stroke of midnight, Josh had kissed Maya to welcome in the New Year. He did it because everybody else in the room had somebody, they had only had each other.

The kiss lasted a little longer than it should have for a New Year's kiss. There was a dozen years of pent up attraction and emotion in that kiss, it was a wonder it didn't last forever. When they finally pulled away from each other, neither of them said a word to each other. Instead, they separated and ran in different directions.

Riley followed Maya, grabbing both their coats to protect them from the frigid Philly air.

Maya was sitting on one of the old wooden chairs, her arms were wrapped around her waist to ward off the cold. Riley dropped her coat over her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" She asked with concern.

"Oh Riley. . ." Maya trailed off and met her eyes. "I'm more than okay! It was wonderful! Being kissed by somebody you love and who loves you in return. . . it's wonderful!"

"Then why aren't you in the house with Josh right now?" Riley asked, pulling her own coat on and rubbing her hands together.

"I am a little scared," Maya admitted. "This changes everything! We've been friends for so long. . . I'm afraid if we do this and it doesn't work out, it'll ruin everything."

"You know it's going to work out though," Riley answered. "You've seen my parents and Auntie Morgan and Uncle Mark. Don't worry your pretty little head about it, it'll be _wonderful_!"

"I don't know. Something could go wrong, it usually does for me when everything's 'wonderful'."

"Have a little faith and hope!" Riley reprimanded gently. "And don't you dare tell me that hope is for suckers because you and I both know that you haven't gotten this far without it."

"I know. I know. . . it's just. . ." Maya trailed off. "I don't know, what happens if I finally get everything I've ever wanted and it isn't what I expected?"

"I'm _never_ going to let that happen!" Josh declared. "I am going to spend the rest of my life making sure life never disappoints you and if it does, I'm going to try as hard as I can to make it better."

Riley squealed on the inside, she clapped her hand over her mouth and stood up. "I'm just going to go inside and leave the two of you alone."

She peeked outside for a split second and saw Josh looking at Maya earnestly, his hands cupping her cheeks and talking quickly. Maya was smiling and nodding her head and forming a reply.

Riley was so excited for this next chapter in their lives.

 **.**

"I love you," Josh said.

"I love you more," Maya answered.

"You two are disgustingly adorable," Riley commented as she breezed past them, coming home from her date with Lucas.

"Riles, I'm trying to say goodnight here!" Maya said. "Could you _please_ go somewhere else?"

"I'll go and brushed my teeth," Riley replied, batting her eyelashes at them as she disappeared down the hallway.

 **.**

The next step was obviously marriage. Two years after their first kiss, Josh came into the kitchen holding Maya's hand up triumphantly.

"She said yes!" He crowed.

There was a round of congratulatory hugs and kisses and once the excitement calmed down, the Matthews women started to talk shop. They were all delighted that there was another wedding to look forward to and to plan.

Another happily ever after for the Matthews family.

It was the way it should be, Riley thought, as she accepted Maya's offer to be the maid of honor.

 **.**

"They look nice together," Lucas said as they watched Maya and Josh dance at their wedding. "They make a very charming couple. They always have even before the fact."

"Yeah, I know," Riley answered, sighing dreamily. "They're almost like a Disney prince and princess."

"Excuse me?" Lucas asked, frowning slightly.

"Um. . ." Riley trailed off and grinned. "Nothing! Just something from when I was a little girl, that's all."

She tucked her arm in his and sighed contentedly as she watched her uncle and best friend dance into their happily ever after.

 **The end**

 **Author's Note:**

 **I'm back. I had a nice long vacation, it was a much needed break. I did come down with a nasty sore throat/cold/headache combo in the last leg of the journey yesterday. And I feel like I am dying because of it. I am sorry this is the only chapter that I managed to get typed up. I planned to write at least two stories while I was away but I got busy visiting family, doing research for an original novel and helping out with my best friend's wedding. I hope you will tell me what you thought of this chapter/installment. The next chapter I started to outline is Farkle's. I hope you will stick around for it! And a couple of October surprises I have planned and of course I'll try to update Maya soon.**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Lots of love,**

 **Holly, 10/12/2015_**


	11. Farkle Minkus

**Casual Observers: the Genius**

 **A Josh & Maya Story**

 **By Brown Eyes Parker**

 **Disclaimer:**

 **Rated: T**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **Farkle was the character who inspired this whole story. I was watching Girl Meets First Date again and I was absolutely struck by the look on his face when Maya went over to see Josh. It was like he knew exactly what was going on when he saw them together. This idea was born from that look but it took me a while to come up with a story idea for Farkle while everybody else's flowed like crazy. . . aside from Lucas. I'm still fighting that one. Please be patient with me, I will try to get to his POV soon.**

 **.**

 **Chapter 11**

 _the Genius_

Farkle Minkus knew he didn't stand a chance with Maya Hart when he saw the way she was looking at Riley Matthew's uncle Josh. He could tell from the way she was looking at him that she liked him. It was all over when she wandered over to his side and took a seat beside him when the girl he was with had left him.

They fell into easy conversation and Josh's face broke into a smile, whatever was bothering him was forgotten when the pretty blonde started to give him attention.

Farkle knew Josh liked Maya in return, he was looking at her like Shakespeare wrote all the sonnets about her even though he had just tried to ask another girl out. It wasn't serious, it couldn't have been. Not when his desperation turned into joy at the sight of Maya. He was gone at the next subway stop though, taking Maya's attention with him.

 **.**

"Josh and Maya? They've been friends _forever_!" Riley told him when he asked about their relationship. "Maybe they liked each other when they were kids but that's been over for a long time!"

Farkle snorted. "Are you really _that_ ignorant, Riley?" he asked kindly.

"I don't know what you mean!" Riley said. "I'm not ignorant. . . they're _just friends_ , Farkle!"

"Maybe they're just friends _right_ now but I am telling you Riley, they don't feel that way about each other! I don't understand feelings too well and even _I_ can see it. And besides, you didn't see the way they were looking at each other on the subway last night. You were too wrapped up with Lucas!"

Riley blushed. "Well, whatever happened between them, I am so glad I missed it! If they were acting weird together last night, I don't want to know about it!"

"It wasn't weird! Farkle protested. "I mean, it didn't look too weird. I think Josh got rejected by the girl he was with and then she went over and talked to him for a little bit. It didn't even last ten minutes! Come on Riles, you've known the both of them forever, how can you _not_ tell there's something between them?"

"Are you saying that I'm _dumb_?" Riley asked.

"No of course not! I think you're just ignoring the obvious," Farkle answered. "It has to be weird to think that your best friend and your uncle like each other. It isn't the most normal of circumstances, is it?"

"Nothing about my family is normal though," Riley told him.

"Is any family really normal?" Farkle asked, grinning at her.

Riley shrugged. "I guess not."

Farkle put his hand on her shoulder. "Josh and Maya like each other. There's nothing you can do about it except for maybe deny it and I'm sure you won't be doing _that_ for very long either."

 **.**

Josh spent the summer in New York with the Matthews and the more time Farkle spent with him, the more he liked him as a person because he had a fantastic taste in music and movies and he treated him and Lucas like they were one of the guys, not just middle-schoolers that he couldn't be bothered with.

The more time he spent with Josh, the more Farkle liked him for Maya.

Josh would pretend just as much as Riley did that nothing was going on between him and Maya when everybody was looking but when he didn't think they were looking, he couldn't take his eyes off of her and whenever he thought they weren't looking, he always paid extra attention to her.

Sometimes he did it without even thinking about it. Like the time at the outdoor roller skating rink when he thought everybody else had gone off to get Cokes and vanilla soft serve. They all came back and caught them holding hands during the couple's skate. Maya was shining her brightest that night, she never shined that brightly for any of the other guys at school and Farkle knew for a fact that there was a handful of boys who would have given their left foot to see her light up the way she did around Josh.

When he saw them holding hands and skating to _Brooklyn Baby_ , he knew that she had already lost her heart and none of the other boys in her life ever stood a chance. They couldn't read the warning signs though, so they would put in their best efforts and fail miserably.

Farkle was thankful he had an in.

He got to see the warning signs before he got into deep.

 **.**

It was like something out of a fifties sitcom, complete with old songs and one ice cream sundae for two. All that was missing were the Dungarees and saddle shoes because Josh and Maya were looking at each other over melting chocolate ice cream with the kind of looks you would see in an old TV show while Perry Como songs played on the jukebox at their table.

Adoration looked out of place on Maya's face because she never wore it. She didn't adore anybody, except for maybe Riley and even then she usually looked at her the way you looked at your goofy, adorable younger sister not the way she was looking at Josh.

It was like they were the only two people in the whole entire world and it was difficult to stop staring at them.

"Don't stare!" Lucas hissed, nudging him in the ribs,

"I _wasn't_ staring!" Farkle answered, taking out his leather wallet to pay for their baker's dozen of apple cider doughnuts and large hot chocolates. "Besides, even if I _was_ , it isn't like they'd notice! I bet you that they wouldn't notice if Spider-Man came in and wrecked the diner while he tried to save Mary Jane from Doc Ock."

Lucas laughed. "Did you really just bring up the Spider-Man movies with Toby Maguire?"

Farkle frowned, his glance darting back to Maya and Josh. "Don't tell me that you actually think the ones with Andrew Garfield are better."

"Riley likes them."

"Oh, of course, Riley likes them!" Farkle grumbled, looking away quickly when it was obvious Josh and Maya were done with their dessert and making their way past them. He didn't want them to know that he had been staring. He fumbled with his money and threw a handful of tens on the counter. "Ready to go?"

"Don't you want your change?" Lucas asked.

"Pu-leeze! I have money to burn! I definitely won't notice four tens missing," Farkle answered, rolling his eyes and grabbing the white sack.

"Ohhhh! I see you just don't want Josh and Maya to know you were being a creeper!" Lucas said with delight.

Farkle squirmed. "Maybe."

"I hate to break it to you buddy, I don't think they realize we're in the same place," Lucas told him kindly. "They are entirely wrapped up in _each other_."

"I hadn't noticed," Farkle replied dryly.

Lucas grinned and picked up three of the tens on the counter, tucking them into Farkle's hand. As Josh and Maya passed them, it was like they finally noticed their presence.

Farkle knew his guilt for watching them eat ice cream was written all over his face but they didn't look mad, instead they were smiling at them cheerfully and saying hello.

He breathed a sigh of inward relief and plastered on a huge Minkus smile. "Hey Josh, hey Maya!" he replied cheerfully, noting how casually Josh's arm was draped around his friend's shoulder.

He had never seen them this happy together, this at ease. He could only imagine what had caused the shift in their relationship.

But when he asked Riley about it, she wouldn't tell him a thing even though he bribed her with all the apple cider doughnuts New York had to offer.

 **.**

It was a sleepy, rainy day in late November. Somehow the whole gang had wound up at the Matthews apartment. Josh had lugged his record player and vinyls over and was in the process of picking just the right album to set the right kind of mood for the afternoon. He finally settled on the _Fifty Shades of Grey_ soundtrack (that he swore he bought for the music alone) and then pulled the coffee table out of the way.

When "Love Me Like You Do" started to play, he went over to Maya and offered her his hand in front of God and everybody. Farkle looked at his friends in shock but Riley didn't look all that surprised, like it something that happened on a regular basis. Lucas looked completely disinterested, his focus on Riley like he was trying to get up the nerve to ask her to dance. Zay wasn't anywhere to be seen, he was probably raiding the refrigerator like he usually did when he was over.

He looked back at Josh and Maya, they fit in each other's arms so perfectly and from the way they moved together, Farkle knew it wasn't their first dance. There had to have been a dozen dances before this one, each one more intimate than the last if from the way they were dancing right now was anything to go by.

It wasn't by any means sexual but it was personal. It was even more personal than the way his parents danced and they were _married_ to each other, they loved each other!

But maybe Josh and Maya loved each other too and it wasn't just like or infatuation.

It was certainly food for thought.

 **.**

"We're _really_ going to do this?"

It was their senior year of high school and they were scheming to get Maya and Josh together even though Farkle was of the opinion that when it happened, it was going to happen naturally. Unlike his peers and comrades, he didn't believe that fate needed a little shove. Fate was doing a fine job all by herself.

Even though it was months past Maya's eighteenth birthday and her and Josh were no closer to getting together than they were two or three years ago.

Okay, so maybe she did need a little help and money did talk, so he agreed to help buy off the students and DJ so Maya and Josh could have a special dance together at the prom because they were actually going together.

So, Farkle helped give Fate a little shove and he was more than a little disappointed when nothing actually happened between the pair except for a slow dance in front of the whole school. He couldn't help but wonder what was taking them so long to actually get together.

Or what they were so scared of.

Because it was like they had been together forever already without naming what their relationship actually was.

In Farkle's opinion, it was a miracle that they had stuck together without being swept away by anybody else because their relationship was so undefined.

 **.**

It happened on New Year's.

Farkle was celebrating with Isadora Smackle and his parents in Paris when he got the text from Lucas, telling him what had happened at the Matthews's home when the ball had dropped at midnight.

Farkle smiled, of course they would have gotten together on the first day of a new year where everything was fresh and new and the possibilities were endless. They were leaving their old story behind and forging ahead to a new chapter, one that would have more slow dances and even slower kisses.

It was a new chapter that would probably cumulate in marriage and the Matthews version of happily ever after.

"Is everything okay?" Isadora asked, leaning over his shoulder and looking at his phone.

Farkle had forgotten that they had been having brunch together. She would want to know the news too, she had observed almost just as many moments as he had between them and had been anxiously waiting for them together.

"You'll never believe what happened at midnight!" He answered.

 **.**

It all ended exactly the way Farkle had expected it to.

With Josh and Maya getting married in a small ceremony that included their family and friends and no acquaintances.

Maya was a beautiful bride and Josh was still looking at her like Shakespeare had written all his sonnets about her, his eyes wide with wonder as she floated down the aisle to meet him at the altar, his face breaking into a smile wider than the day Farkle had first realized what was going on.

He took her hand and stared at her, memorizing her for a rainy day. Farkle's breath caught in his throat like it never had before at a wedding and probably never would again after this except for maybe at Lucas and Riley's nuptials (and maybe his own, if he ever got the nerve up to ask Isadora to marry him).

He had been witness this expression of true love ever since he was a boy and it still never ceased to amaze him.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note II:**

 **I'll come right out and say that this one has issues but in my defense, I have had a raging sore throat and headache. We're calling this the family plague because basically all the cousins got this on vacation and I'm the oldest cousin, so I feel like I shouldn't have caught this but it is what it is. My second excuse is my youngest sister is sick too and she decided we should binge-watch Gossip Girl. I forgot how much I loved this show until this week, it has kept me very occupied and my mind off how sick I feel.**

 **By the way, if you like Chuck & Blair or Nate & Serena from Gossip Girl, I am thinking about getting back into writing for the fandom. Just putting it out there.**

 **Until Next Time! Stay healthy!**

 **Lots of Love,**

 **Holly, 10/16/2015_**


	12. Isadora Smackle

**Casual Observers: Moments of Absolute Clarity**

 **A Josh & Maya Story**

 **By Brown Eyes Parker**

 **Shout-outs: SorryLoveButIDon'tReallyCare and Hoalover716**

 **Rated: K+**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

 **.**

 **Chapter 12**

 _Moments of Absolute Clarity_

Isadora Smackle did not know feelings really well. She did not know what they looked like when they were staring her right in the face but sometimes, in small shimmering moments of absolute clarity, she could tell what love looked like.

When she saw Joshua Matthews with Maya Hart, those were one of those moments. It wasn't anything big, there weren't any fireworks or flashing lights. They were just staring at each other while Mrs. Matthews served them birthday cake and ice cream. But there was something in their faces, something that spoke of a little more than friendship.

She turned to Farkle Minkus, her unspoken interrupter for the world around her and looked at him with questioning eyes. "Are they. . ."

"Sort of but not really," Farkle answered his voice low in her ear. "Maybe someday."

"They have an understanding then?" Isadora asked.

Farkle nodded. "A not so secret understanding. Everybody knows what's going on between them. Except for Riley."

"Really?"

"She prefers to live in denial," Farkle replied. "Because Joshua is her uncle and if he were to marry Maya that would make her Riley's aunt."

Isadora nodded. "Yes, I could see how that would be very awkward for her."

"But she'll come around."

"She will? How can you be so sure?" Isadora asked.

"You know Riley," Farkle answered patiently. "She just wants the best for her friends and family. If Joshua is the absolute best for Maya and Maya is the absolute best for Joshua then she'll come around because that is just the kind of person she is. She always puts others happiness before her own."

"But it could be argued that Joshua and Maya getting together would do nothing to hinder her happiness. Now if Lucas and Maya were together that might be a different story entirely," Isadora pointed out, smiling triumphantly at her understanding for another thing that had to do with matters of the heart.

"That is true," Farkle agreed with her.

 **.**

She was by herself at the library studying for a huge test when she saw them huddled together in the quiet corner she usually claimed as her own to study in. Joshua was quietly reading to Maya from a volume of poetry. They were so absorbed in what they were doing, Isadora was almost certain that they wouldn't notice her watching them while she pretended to skim an autobiography about Barbra Streisand.

" _I'll love you with every little bit of everything that has ever consumed me and I will forever love you and forever find you in every lifetime and so on. Until the stars die out and the universe leaps but even then, my love will remain,"_ Joshua whispered, looking at Maya instead of the book in his hands, like he knew the words by heart.

Isadora turned her head to look at her friend, the not-so-secret understanding between Joshua and Maya was more obvious than ever. His coded confession of love for her hung in the air between them, something that wouldn't be addressed until another day.

She slammed _Hello, Gorgeous_ shut and pushed it back on the shelf, deciding to hightail it out of there and find a new place to study before the pair realized that she was there. She didn't want them to think she had been spying on them even though that was exactly what she had been doing in the first place.

Sort of.

It wasn't her fault that they had been sitting in _her_ favorite spot in the library. It wasn't _her_ fault that Joshua and Maya were completely fascinating to everybody in their lives.

It wasn't _her_ fault but she didn't think they would understand _that_.

 **.**

She didn't see them again for a few months because she didn't always hang out with Farkle and his friends as much as she would have liked to but she was forever occupied with other things. So, when Farkle asked her to be his date to the winter formal with his mother's society group, Isadora _jumped_ on the opportunity to do so.

She arrived with Farkle in the specially ordered limo for the evening and he helped her out of it, the perfect date. She saw Maya standing on the stairs in a thrift store fur coat and paste diamonds from Charming Charlie's, pacing the length of the entrance in Christmas red shoes like she was waiting for somebody.

Isadora looked at Farkle.

"She's waiting for Joshua," Farkle answered.

"First date?"

Farkle rolled his eyes. "More like the dozenth of many _fake_ dates," he replied. "They're still the two biggest pretenders in the whole entire world."

"Oh."

"Come on," Farkle said, weaving his arm through her's. "We don't have to worry about them tonight. They can pretend all they want to."

They both stopped short when Joshua whizzed past them, his gray wool dress coat flapping out behind him as he ran to meet Maya.

"Sorry I'm late!" He said, stopping short in front of her. "I was studying and I lost track of time!"

Maya shook her head and smiled in relief. "It's okay, really it is! I'm just glad you're here. Besides, the rest of the gang isn't here yet and we can't get in without Farkle. Our party is under his name."

Joshua took her hand and spun her around. "As always, you look beautiful!"

"Hey guys!" Farkle called out, tugging Isadora along with him as he approached them.

"Hi Farkle," Maya answered, releasing a deep breath like she had been holding it for hours.

"Are Lucas and Riley here yet?" Farkle asked.

"They should be coming soon," Maya answered. "Riley had a wardrobe malfunction, her zipper got stuck and she had to resort to dress B."

"I'll send the three of you inside and wait for them here," Farkle said.

"You don't have to do that! We're here!" Riley replied as she and Lucas raced up the stairs to meet them. "Sorry we're late!"

"You're exactly on time!" Mrs. Minkus assured them, joining them with her husband. She adjusted her black stole and looked them all over approvingly. "Very nice. Are you ready to go in?"

When they were inside and dinner was finished, the orchestra started to play songs to dance to instead of the classical music they had played through the meal. Isadora watched as Lucas and Riley started for the dance floor almost instantly while Joshua and Maya looked at each other shyly over their glasses of sparkling white grape juice like they wanted to dance but not in front of everybody watching them.

Isadora took a deep breath and plucked up all her courage. "Farkle, dance with me," she said.

Farkle looked surprised. "Are you sure?"

"It isn't like it's a slow dance," Isadora answered impatiently. "I know how to waltz!"

"Okay," Farkle said. "If you're sure. . ."

After a few dances, her feet were aching, so Farkle escorted her back to their table. Riley and Lucas followed them, their faces flushed pink.

The orchestra started to play another song, a guest singer came out and took the mic. Joshua looked at Maya and then stood up.

"Come on," he said. "Let's dance!"

Isadora glanced at Farkle, Lucas and Riley to see what their reaction would be. But it was like they had already seen Joshua and Maya dance with each other a dozen or more times already.

While they took the dance floor, Isadora was struck by how much some of the words fit them.

They twirled around and around, Maya's dress sparkled in the stage floor lights and Joshua's smile shone brighter than the white light drenched ballroom.

 **.**

It was open mic night at _Topanga's_ and Joshua and Maya were the last ones to take the stage. Isadora suspected something magical was going to happen and she was right.

The instant Maya took the microphone with Joshua at the piano, the whole room was captivated. As soon as they started to sing together, it was like they were the only two in the whole entire cafe.

" _Did you and Jupiter conspire to get me?"_ Joshua started, winking at Maya as he sang. _"I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right 'cause now I'm shining bright, so bright."_

" _And I see colors in a different way, you make what doesn't matter fade to gray. Life is good and that's the way it should be,"_ Maya added, sharing a secret smile with him as she sang and strummed along on a guitar. _"You make me sing oh, la, la, la. You make a girl go oh, I'm in love, love. Did you see that shooting star tonight? Were you dazzled by the same constellation?"_

" _Did you and Jupiter to conspire to get me?"_

And it felt like Joshua was really asking Maya that question.

 **.**

"Are you sure Maya and Joshua are ever going to get together?" Isadora asked Farkle one afternoon on the beach in the Hamptons. It seems like they're taking their sweet time doing it. Maya's been 18 for a long time and your little plan at prom didn't seem to work because all they did was _dance_."

"I'm _sure_!" Farkle answered, grinning at her. "I think we're just going to have to let it happen in their own time without any help from us."

"The last time we talked about it you said Fate needed a little push," Isadora reminded him. "They _should_ have gotten together by now!"

Farkle's smile grew a little wider. "Isadora Smackle, who'd have ever guessed that you're a little bit of a romantic?"

Isadora rolled her eyes. "Please, I'm merely speaking as a scientist. It's velocity, they have to get together eventually. They've been accelerating towards each other long enough and there's more than enough force for them to get together."

Farkle just smiled some more and teased her for the rest of the afternoon about being a secret romantic.

 **.**

Isadora had gone to Paris with the Minkus's for the holidays. She was having an early breakfast with Farkle after not going to bed after spending the whole night celebrating the New Year with champagne and fireworks when Farkle got a text.

His face lit up when he checked his messages.

"Is everything okay?" Isadora asked, leaning over his shoulder to look at his iPhone.

"You'll never believe what happened at midnight!" Farkle answered.

" _What happened!?"_

"Josh and Maya finally got together!" Farkle told her, showing her the text message he had received from Lucas Friar.

Isadora snatched the phone from her boyfriend to see for herself. "Well, it took them long enough!" she said, smiling too.

 **.**

It was a beautiful day for a wedding. The kind of happily ever after that Riley said Maya had always dreamed about but wouldn't hope she would get because hope was for suckers.

But it was the kind of ending Isadora Smackle had come to expect from the Matthews family. They fell in love young and lived out their lives together in a way that would ruin reality for everybody else.

Ava and Lucas and Maya were the lucky ones.

But she had gotten pretty lucky when it had come to Farkle.

The doors closed and the congregation stood, breaking Isadora's thought process. A few seconds later, Maya was floating down the aisle towards Josh, radiant in all her bridal beauty.

Isadora stole a glance at the groom, something she liked to do at weddings and saw that he was smiling, not taking his eyes off his bride for a second. He was wearing the same kind of smile he had worn for Maya over and over the past half-a-dozen years but it was different at the same time too. It was a kind of forever smile that was for her and her alone.

They said their vows, holding hands and not looking away from each other for a second. There was seriousness to the moment but it was still filled with love and devotion.

And it all almost took Isadora's breath away.

 **.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **I realize that I had Josh play the piano in this installment but I have this head canon where He can play a bunch of different instruments. Also, Maya playing the guitar will be explained in a future. Second of all, I don't know if I remembered Newton's Law of Motion at all correctly, so please forgive any mistakes I made if you're more familiar with it than I am. Third, the song that Maya and Josh dance to in this story is "Secret Love" covered by Mandy Moore for** _ **Mona Lisa Smile**_ **. The song they sang is "Bright" by Echosmith and the poetry that Josh is reciting to Maya in the library is a quote by r.m drake. If you a Pinterest account you might be familiar with his work.**

 **I hope you'll tell me what you thought about this installment. It gave me a lot of trouble, I struggled every single day to write it.**

 **And now for my confession, I am on the Asperger's spectrum. I was diagnosed when I was a senior in high school. I have different struggles than Smackle but it still hits close to home.**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Lots of love,**

 **Holly, 10/23/2015_**


	13. Lucas Friar

**Casual Observers: Ranger Rick**

 **A Josh & Maya Story**

 **By Brown Eyes Parker**

 **Shout-outs: Hoalover716 and Angel1D98**

 **Author's Note:**

 **Look what I finally wrote! No Lucaya or shipping wars. But there is a little taste of Rucas.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Rated: K+**

 **.**

 **Chapter 13**

 _Ranger Rick_

Lucas Friar always wondered about Maya Hart. She had this kind of magnetism surrounding her and he was not the only one who noticed it. There were at least a half-a-dozen other boys in their eighth grade who would have given anything to take her out to get baklava and iced coffee at Mrs. Svorski's bakery after school. But she only gave them half of her attention and it was usually so she could decline their invitation to go out when they were done with school for the day.

He had no idea why she would say _no_ to any of them because the ones asking her out weren't _that_ annoying (save from one nerdy guy that they always ran into during lunch) and they were pleasant to look at. They even had the same kind of confidence that she did, carrying themselves like they didn't care what everybody thought. But she would reject them before they could even for their question.

" _It isn't you, it's me",_ she would say before flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking away without looking back while Riley would hurriedly apologize on Maya's behalf before following after her as she told her that she could at least let them ask her out before saying _no_.

None of it made any sense at all because he knew Maya didn't like girls and that she didn't think she was too good for anybody at their school.

Until he met Josh Matthews.

It was for him, she turned on all of her charms. It was for him she was all sugar and spice and pretty smiles and sweet voices.

And suddenly it was all crystal clear.

Riley's uncle had won Maya's heart.

It was pretty hard to read how the older boy felt about her until there wasn't anybody else looking at them. Lucas could tell that Josh felt the same way about her that she felt about him. He looked at her like all the love songs had been written about her and they all made sense. He rubbed his neck a lot when they were around each other and he threw around the phrase _you do know I'm too old for you_ a lot. But he never ever said that he didn't like her too.

Except Riley denied that there was anything going on between them when he asked her about it. Lucas knew her well enough to know that she just didn't want to think about Maya and Josh like _that_ together. He knew her well enough to know that one day she would come around though, especially when her best friend's happiness was at stake.

As for him, he couldn't wait until the day came when the inevitable would happen and whatever it was that was between them would finally come to a head and they would have to do something about it.

Because he had known the Matthews long enough to know that something incredible was going to happen one day when the time was right.

 **.**

Josh and Maya were dancing to covers of Taylor Swift songs together, one right after another and Lucas was distracted because Riley's hand was in his.

He was too shy to ask her to dance with him and he didn't have the kind of courage that Maya and Josh did to move the furniture and have an impromptu dance party even though he did like Riley enough to want to dance with her the way Josh was dancing with Maya.

Close and like no one in the world was watching them.

But then it did seem like they were the only two in the room. He and Riley had been forgotten as soon as they had played the music, they had decided almost immediately that they wanted to dance.

As the years passed by, Lucas came to realize that dancing was a distinctly Josh and Maya thing to do. No matter what they were doing when the music started to play, they would come together, like moths drawn to a flame, they would come together and wouldn't let each other go until they had to. He realized that maybe they never actually decided they were going to dance, maybe it was something they just did without thinking about it.

 **.**

They were in a diner getting hot chocolate and a baker's dozen of apple cider doughnuts and Farkle couldn't take his eyes off of Josh and Maya. Lucas was doing his best to ignore them because he didn't really think that Maya would appreciate it if she found out they were snooping in her personal life.

"Don't stare!" He hissed, nudging Farkle in the ribs.

Farkle didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed. "I _wasn't_ staring!" he answered, taking his leather wallet out to pay for their purchase.

They had a very silly exchange about Spider-man and Andrew Garfield and what version Riley liked better when they noticed that Josh and Maya were done with their dessert and were getting ready to leave.

Suddenly, Farkle started to act _very_ suspicious, like he didn't want them to know that he had been staring at them. Lucas couldn't resist teasing him until Josh and Maya stopped to say hello.

If they knew what had been going on, they didn't look mad about it. In fact, in all the time Lucas had seen them with each other, he hadn't seen them _this_ happy together. Josh's arm was even draped casually around Maya's shoulder.

There was a definite shift in their relationship.

But when Farkle asked Riley about it later, she wouldn't give them any of the details, not even when Farkle bribed her with all the apple cider doughnuts that New York had to offer.

 **.**

He found them in the library, hiding in a corner together and taking turns reading in hushed voices.

" _The chaos in me is the chaos in you. Like the love in you is the love in me. So maybe we're both a little crazy. Enough to believe we're found where dreams are born and beneath our faults remain a science, where you and I will run away and leave nothing behind,"_ Josh said, looking up from the book like he had memorized the words a long time ago. He was looking at her like he meant them all for her.

Lucas turned around, embarrassed by the moment he had caught them in. It was a little too intimate, something that should be preserved between them and them alone forever and ever.

Except he needed to tell somebody that it had happened and he wound up telling everybody in their group about it.

Smackle blushed before she admitted that she too had run into them reading poetry at the library and it _had_ seemed like Josh had been reciting it to her, not _reading_ it.

Riley panicked and then told everybody not to tell Josh and Maya that they knew what was going on behind library doors because it might spook them and then they would probably never get together if _that_ happened.

Lucas highly doubted it would prevent them from getting together but he indulged Riley because that's what he always did even though they were on _another_ pause. He couldn't help himself when it came to her though.

 **.**

Maya and Josh were intense when it came to shows like _Chopped_. They would watch it on Tuesday nights instead of doing their homework. They would sit next to each other, their books forgotten and their fingers flying across their iPhones while they tweeted about the competition, playfully shoving each other when they didn't agree on something. But it was all in good fun. Sometimes they would argue for the full hour and then after the winner had been named, they would hug each other and say _same time last week_ before he would ask her if he could walk her home.

Riley would smile and wave them off, glancing at Lucas as she did. "They're so cute," she said.

"You do realize Maya would be your aunt if they get married someday," Lucas warned her.

Riley forced a smile and pretended to be annoyed. "Don't remind me."

Lucas grinned at her. He knew that she didn't really mind much at all.

 **.**

They were playing old cassette tapes at Amy and Alan's house when they were supposed to be asleep. Riley and Lucas were at the top of the stairs, watching them dance around together in the moonlight, quietly laughing together, not afraid for a second that they were going to be caught. They weren't together but there was nothing was keeping them apart either, they weren't afraid that things could end badly and that they would stop talking to each other as a result.

In fact, it never seemed like Josh and Maya ran out of things to talk about and when they weren't talking, they were comfortable just not to talk while they danced together underneath a ceiling fan, her head resting on his shoulder and his hand making circles in the small of their back.

And no matter how many times he saw her, it was like Josh was seeing Maya for the first time all over again. He always looked at her like he was in awe of her even when she was wearing a worn out, oversized thrift store t-shirt that advertised a blood drive from the 90s and her hair was in a messy bun because they were supposed to be in bed.

He always looked at her like he couldn't believe that he was lucky enough to know her. He didn't even bother to hide it anymore.

But despite of all these things, there was still something keeping them from actually getting together.

Lucas glanced at the brunette girl sitting next to him and figured that _maybe_ it _was_ the same thing that was keeping him and Riley apart.

He wondered when everybody, including himself, was going to stop being stupid.

 **.**

Their moment came on prom night. He knew as soon as he saw Riley come out of her room that they would get together for once and for all at the end of the night. He looked over at Josh, who was watching Maya without looking away from her once and wondered if tonight would be the night they got together oo.

The plan was set in motion.

It only counted on the two of them not being stubborn.

"Well?" Maya asked, stopping in front of Josh and clasping her hands behind her back, smiling at him. "What do you think?"

Josh shook his head and didn't stop looking at her, at _all_ of her. He shook his head, speechless and Lucas could almost see their future together. He turned his attention to Riley, smiling at her.

"You look beautiful," he told her. "Like always."

"You do too," Josh mumbled, taking a cue from the younger boy.

Both Riley and Maya beamed.

 **.**

Even though it was the last dance of the night, Farkle had paid everybody off to clear the dance floor for Josh and Maya because dancing was still what the two of them did best and Lucas couldn't imagine a world where Josh didn't ask Maya to dance.

When they were on the dance floor, Farkle slipped the DJ some money and whispered something to him. Earlier in the week, Mr. Matthews had told them what song was especially Josh and Maya's song. Afterwards, Riley had scoured the Internet for an updated version of it, she had done a pretty good job with the "She & Him" cover that was filling the gym.

Josh and Maya stopped dancing for a second, slightly surprised by the change in music. But after a second had gone by, they started to dance again, slower this time. Maya closed her eyes and rested her head on Josh's shoulder. He automatically wrapped his arms around her like they were hugging, his eyes closed too.

They stood underneath the disco ball, swaying to the music. It was like the whole senior class had disappeared and they were the only two people left in the world.

It was the perfect opportunity. The best set up.

But nothing happened between them that night.

It was like their perfect plan had gone to waste.

 **.**

" _I can recall in my imagination, a situation so heavenly, a fairy land where no one else could enter and in the center just you and me, "_ Maya sang as Josh played the guitar in a coffee shop near NYU for their open mic night.

A few months had gone by since prom and they still weren't any closer to getting together even though they were closer than ever. Maya had joined Josh at NYU and they spent as much time as possible together. They studied together, ate together and sometimes they crashed at the other's place if it got too late to go home. They were even working together now, singing in bars and coffee shops to earn a little bit of extra cash because they had realized one night at _Topanga's_ they were good.

If they were born to dance together, they were definitely born to sing together. The way their voices blended together and the way they looked at each other while they sang. And it wasn't any secret that they _looked_ good together. It was impossible not to get drawn in.

It was impossible not to root for them.

Lucas found himself doing it more and more every day.

Mostly he wanted them to stop being stupid and for one of them to make a move before everybody died of old age waiting for it to happen.

Yes, he believed everything would work itself out in the end, but he wasn't sure about Maya and Josh.

They were both as stubborn as a mule, misdirecting fate as often and as much as they could. He wasn't so sure everything would work out for them in the end but he didn't give up hope that it would either.

 **.**

It happened on New Year's Eve. They were counting down to the New Year and when the clock struck midnight, everybody was kissing each other. So, it was only natural Josh would kiss Maya because _when in Rome. . ._

The kiss lasted a little longer than it should have for a New Year's kiss but once they started, it was no wonder they couldn't stop. They had been suppressing this kind of physical contact for who knew how long.

After they finally broke apart, a little embarrassed that they had done it, they both ran away. Riley looked at him apologetically before following her friend to talk to her while Mr. Matthews ran after Josh.

Lucas slid his phone out of the pocket of his jeans and pulled up his text messages. He had heard from Farkle a few hours earlier because he was in France and they had rang in the New Year before them.

 _Happy New Year, bro! Josh and Maya finally kissed. I think they're FINALLY going to get together tonight! I'll tell you what happens next._

 **.**

"They look nice together," Lucas told Riley as they watched Maya and Josh dance at their wedding. "They make a very charming couple. They always have even before the fact."

"Yeah, I know," Riley answered, sighing dreamily. "They're almost like a Disney prince and princess."

Lucas frowned slightly. "Excuse me?"

"Um. . ." Riley trailed off and grinned. "Nothing! Just something from when I was a little girl, that's all."

Lucas smiled in return as she tucked her arm in his and sighed contentedly as they watched them. He tightened his hold on her arm and watched the newlyweds. Josh and Maya wore _and they lived happily ever after_ well.

He could hardly wait to see what happened with them next. He knew whatever it was, it was going to be good.

And maybe, just maybe he and Riley would get the same kind of happily ever after that they did.

In fact, he was planning on it.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note II:**

 **I was planning on keeping this chapter hostage until Friday because I'm averaging two reviews a chapter but I decided to post it because people have been begging for me to write Lucas' POV and I'm not a review Nazi. I hope I didn't disappoint you, it was surprisingly easy to write once I started to write it. If you were looking for a love triangle here, I'm sorry you didn't find it here. After Texas, this story is officially an AU I realized. I didn't want to mess with it. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought.**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Lots of love,**

 **Holly, 10/26/2015_**

 **P.S**

 **I am going to start compiling the soundtrack for this story, I want all the songs in one place. I'll let you know when I post it.**


	14. Zay Babineaux

**Casual Observers: the One From Texas**

 **A Josh & Maya Story**

 **By Brown Eyes Parker**

 **Shout-outs: GABGM, gmwyay, Jogan, lalaland, memeeto2, kitawolf12, Freshman11, Guest, Guest, Guest, AngelD98, Hoalover716 and charmedfreak3b**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **.**

 **Chapter 14**

 _The One From Texas_

" _What on earth_ is going on between your uncle and best friend!?" Zay Babineauxasked as he chewed on Cocoa Pebbles.

Riley Matthews's eyes widened, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish's did. "I don't know. . . what did you s _ee_ exactly?"

"I have no idea," Zay answered. "But it sure seems like the two of them like each other."

"They've known each other for years," Riley said dismissively. " _Of course_ they like each other!"

"No, I mean they _really_ like each other," Zay told her, raising his eyebrows suggestively as he continued to shovel cereal into his mouth. "If you know what I mean."

Riley sighed. "I know what you mean, Zay! So? They have something going on between them. They don't talk about it and I don't think they know that _we_ know about them."

"You have a weird family," Zay pointed out.

"You're friends with us," Riley reminded him. "What does that say about _you_?"

Zay peeked out into the living room and shook his head. "You know I really thought that Maya liked Lucas. I kind of thought they would end up together. I cannot believe how wrong I actually was."

"Well, you've only been here for a little bit," Riley said a little curtly. "You don't know everything about us, Zay."

 **.**

Zay Babineauxwas wrong.

In all the time he had known Maya Hart, he had never seen her look at Lucas Friar the way she was looking at Josh Matthews. During his whole time in New York, he had never seen Lucas look at Maya in the way that Josh was looking at her.

It was the kind of look that Zay had only seen in Disney movies and romcoms. It was the kind of look that he had heard about in songs but had never seen in real life. Seeing it up close and personal was one of the most intriguing experiences that he had _ever_ had.

 **.**

Zay didn't know all the dynamics of Josh and Maya's relationship. So, when he asked Maya to dance at Riley's sweet sixteen, he did not expect the older boy to be standing on the sidelines with his arms folded across his chest and giving him a death glare.

"What's wrong with your boyfriend?" Zay asked.

Maya huffed. "He is _not_ my _boyfriend_ , Zay!"

"He looks like he wants to drag me outside and beat me up."

"Don't worry, he _wouldn't_ ," Maya assured him. "Especially not tonight because it's Riley's birthday and he wouldn't ruin her party."

"But why is he looking at me like _that_?"

Maya looked over at Josh and smirked. "Because I usually dance with _him_ ," she answered. "Don't worry, this is good for him."

"I don't want to get in the middle of anything!" Zay protested.

"What makes you think you're getting in the middle of _anything_?" Maya asked innocently.

Zay didn't get a chance to answer because Josh was striding towards them, a determined look on his face.

Zay's first instinct was to release Maya and then to shield his face with his arms. "Sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't know you guys were. . . that you usually danced with her!"

"Do you mind if I cut in?" Josh asked tersely.

Zay lowered his arms. "You mean, you're _not_ going to punch me?"

Josh fixed him with another death glare. "Are you going to let me dance with her or not?"

"Sure!" Zay answered, going on even though his better instincts told him that he shouldn't. "You know we were just dancing as friends, I don't like her like that. . . if I had known it would have made you this upset, I would have never asked her if. . ."

But Josh had already whisked an amused looking Maya away. He thought about exiting the dance floor but he changed his mind when he discovered he could hear their conversation.

"Okay, you proved your point, Hart."

"What point?" Maya asked with the same innocence from a few moments before.

Zay felt slightly abused, their dance had only been to make Josh _jealous_? Zay sprinted off the dance floor, he didn't want to be in the middle of whatever was going on between Josh and Maya anymore, unknowingly or otherwise.

But whatever their issue had been, it looked like they had resolved it within a matter of minutes. As soon as Zay had turned around, Maya was looking at Josh with the look that belonged only to him and Josh had pulled her as close as he possibly could without having to take his eyes off of her. They swayed together to a song from the newest Carrie Underwood album.

Zay figured they were the kind of people who wouldn't discriminate against any kind of music, especially because it was probably an excuse to touch each other's hands and waists and shoulders.

He admired their cleverness.

 **.**

"Just give me _one_ taste!" Josh said, trying to grab Maya's wrist to lick ice cream from her sugar cone.

"Noooo," Maya protested. "You have your _own_ ice cream!"

"But it isn't the same kind of flavor that you got," Josh reminded her. "Come on Maya, please could I just have one _little_ taste?"

"You _could. . ._ " Maya answered around a mouthful of what Zay knew from the week before was Gobbler flavored ice cream. "But no."

Zay watched them with interest, feeling a little bit like a stalker but it wasn't like he had followed them there. He had simply caught sight of them at _the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck_ on his way home from Farkle's apartment.

He'd walked past when Josh had asked to taste her ice cream the first time and had stopped to see what would happen next. He kind of got the feeling that Maya would eventually give in and let him sample her treat.

After a few more seconds, Maya proved him right because she had extended her hand to Josh with her million dollar smile. Zay expected that she would shove it in his face next because rumor had it she had dumped two smoothies all over Lucas.

But no, she let him take a generous taste _without_ shoving it in his mouth or rubbing it all over his face. A few seconds later, Josh let her taste _his_ ice cream with the same kind of respect that she had showed for him.

Zay realized that maybe Josh brought out the best in Maya.

He hadn't know either of them for a long time but he figured that maybe it wasn't a bad thing. Everybody needed somebody who brought out the best in them.

 **.**

"Y'all are crazy," Zay said as he ate the leftover lasagna he had found in the Matthews' fridge. "They're never going to go for it. Not even if Minkus here paid _them_ off."

"They're never going to go for what?" Riley asked. "You know the two of them always jump at an opportunity to _dance_!"

"Okay then, they're not going to get together," Zay amended. "You're mom makes good lasagna."

Riley sighed. "Well, don't be so negative about it Zay."

"Maya's been eighteen for a while now," Zay reminded Riley, Lucas, Farkle and Smackle. "Don't you think they would have actually gotten together by now if it _was_ going to happen!?"

"It's _going_ to happen!" Riley said with so much force that Zay almost fell off of the bench. "It might not happen today, it might not happen on prom night but it's going to happen! If you can't see that then you really don't know my family, Zay."

 **.**

The setting was perfect for it and it still didn't happen on prom night.

But Zay didn't say _I told you so_ even though the temptation was there.

 **.**

He was in Texas with his family for the holidays when he got the texts from Lucas.

 _It FINALLY happened!_

 _Told you so!_

 _The second message is a direct quote from Riley. She just thought you should know._

Zay shook his head. He would never get the Matthews family _at all_.

He smiled in spite of himself.

 **.**

Of course they got married. 

Zay had begun to expect _those_ sorts of things from them. In fact, he figured that he would probably have been kind of disappointed if they _hadn't_ gotten married.

 **.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **I confess, writing in Zay's voice was** _ **hard**_ **. He is a fantastic character though. Also, I cannot pronounce his last name for the life of me. It sounds French but I don't even know, to be honest. Anyhoo, the song from the new Carrie Underwood album is "Like I'll Never Love You Again". I just discovered it and the words fit this story** _ **so**_ **well! I'm sorry if this story kind of fell short, this has been a busy week. My sisters decided we were going to have a Halloween party and decided to wait until the last minute to get ready for it even though it has been in the works since the end of August.**

 **I've been running around getting ready for** _ **that**_ **. That being said, I hope you guys enjoyed this and that you all have a very safe and Happy Halloween. I'll be back next week with a new installment for you guys. We're in the final countdown, I'm hoping to be done before December when I'll start posting a Christmas story. . . several of them actually. But there will only be one multi-chapter. Afterwards, I'm planning on updating Maya every single week.**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Lots of Love,**

 **Holly, 10/30/2015_**


	15. Ava Morgenstern

**Shout-Outs: ShortyStarRose, Emma Bae, Meraline Mere, gmwyay, kitawolf12, Guest, Hoalover716, Guest, and freshman11**

 **Rated: K+**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **.**

 **Chapter 15**

 _A Spoiled Rotten Brat_

"I think your uncle Josh likes Maya," Ava Morgenstern whispered to Auggie Matthews during family game night.

"That's old news!" Auggie scoffed. "Everybody knows _that_ except for them, I think. Or maybe they just won't admit it."

Ava rolled her eyes. "Things are so much simpler when you're a kid. You meet somebody and you tell them that you like them like you did with me. Nobody ever says 'you do know I'm too old for you Maya?' Blah, blah, blah. . ."

"I'll bet you anything she'll be our aunt some day," Auggie told her. "Just don't tell Riley because I think she's still living in denial that they like each other and that she doesn't want Maya to be our aunt.

Ava sighed. "Well, that does make sense Auggie. Maya _is_ her best friend. It would be awkward for you if the situations were reversed. I think we should try to get Uncle Josh and Maya together!"

"Maybe interfering wouldn't be such a good idea. . ." Auggie said cautiously. "I mean I don't think either of them would like it and maybe they're doing just fine on their own."

"They are _not_ doing fine on their own!" Ava answered. "If they were doing fine on their own, maybe they'd be together right now. Did you ever think of _that_ Auggie?"

Auggie shrugged. "I think they're fine," he repeated. "Besides, mommy and daddy might not like it if I tried to get them together. They say that Maya and Josh will get together when they're good and ready to get together. It won't happen a moment too soon or a moment too late."

Ava huffed. "Well geez, Auggie."

"Come on Ava just give them some time," Auggie said. "I'm sure it'll happen one day. We just can't do anything about it _right_ now. I know you _want_ to do something but just don't. Okay?"

"Fiiiinnne!" Ava dragged out. "If you think they'll get together whenever the time's right then I guess I'll just have to take your word for it."

"Good!"

"But I think we should still come up with a plan to get them together," Ava said. _"Just in case!"_

 **.**

Ava pressed the phone to her ear, her eyes wide. "What do you mean they had a _fight_? I didn't think people like Josh and Maya fought!"

"It was about something really, _really_ dumb," Auggie answered. "Somebody asked Maya out and she asked Josh if she should go out with him. I don't think it went over very well. Because she's gone now. Riley thinks she went to Philadelphia to talk to him."

"I'll be right over!" Ava told him. "I want to be there when she gets back!"

"It might be a while," Auggie warned.

"That's okay, nobody will notice that I'm missing!" Ava said.

A few hours later, when Josh and Maya showed up at the apartment together, Topanga sent Ava and Auggie away. They went to his bedroom and didn't close the door because Ava wanted to hear if they were going to get in trouble or not.

Much to Ava's profound disappointment, there weren't any scoldings or punishments. But afterwards everybody said that things were back to normal between the pair, almost like it had been when they were kids. Except it was different at the same time.

Ava was confused because she hadn't been born when they had first met each other. And when she asked Auggie about it, he couldn't really tell her anything because he only knew the stories and he wasn't the best storyteller, he always mixed up stories. Like about the time they had met at Aunt Morgan's wedding and danced the night away.

(Riley had set them both straight though and had told them about the summer they had first met and nothing was ever the same again. The dancing had come later, after Uncle Josh had found Maya's lost smile.)

Ava wanted to know _everything_ that had ever happened between them. It wasn't fair that there were others before her who got to know.

 **.**

" _You pierce my soul, I am half agony, half hope. . . I have loved none but you,"_ Josh read.

The way he was reading, the way Maya was looking at Josh. . . . it took Ava's breath away. When Maya released a breath, she did too before looking over at Auggie, who was lying on his belly next to her and playing quietly with his Matchbox cars.

"I think that he means it," she whispered.

Auggie looked up and nodded. "He most likely does," he agreed. "Wait!? What does he mean?"

"That he has loved none but her!"

"Josh? You mean he's not done reading that dumb book yet?"

Ava rolled her eyes. _"Boys!"_

"It's _just_ a school assignment," Auggie reminded her. "Remember? He asked her if he could read it aloud because he kept losing his place?"

"And so? I still think he means it!" Ava said. "I don't think you saw the way he was looking at her! Don't argue with me August Matthews because you know that I'm _always_ right!"

"Whatever you say dear!" Auggie replied.

"Good answer," Ava answered, petting his curls, she turned back to look at Josh and Maya. He had stopped reading and they were just looking at each other, not saying a word until Maya took the book from him and turned to a random page.

" _There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison,"_ Maya answered his earlier reading.

They were both smiling.

 **.**

Ava was spinning around and around with Auggie while Josh and Maya were dancing beside them to one of Topanga's old CDs.

Josh and Maya danced like they knew how to dance together every single time Auggie would whirl her around, Ava caught herself looking at them. At one point, Maya had rested her forehead against Josh's and they just stood there, hugging each other and swaying to the music.

"It's so romantic," Ava twittered to Auggie.

Auggie smiled and Ava knew he was in total agreement with her.

 **.**

It was prom night and Maya looked like a Disney princess. There was no other way to describe it, even though Ava _had_ tried to describe it differently. She looked like she was ready for the Oscars, for her performance at the Grammys. Nothing really seemed to fit as well as _Disney princess_. Especially when she swept out of Riley's room and into Josh's vision.

He was looking at her like he was seeing her for the first time in his life but then, he always looked at her like _that_ , and it was nothing new.

Ava waited for Josh to sprout off something from literature like he usually did where Maya was involved but he didn't until later that night, when prom was over. Riley was in the bathroom talking to Lucas and Ava was pretending to be asleep when Josh climbed up the fire escape and tapped on the window.

Maya went over to it, her dress making swishing sounds as she moved. She opened it and Josh stuck his head inside.

"Yes?" Maya whispered and Ava started to snore a little bit so they wouldn't suspect her.

Josh took a deep breath. "I forgot something."

"Oh?" Maya asked.

Josh cleared his throat. _"She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright. Meet in her aspects and her eyes; thus mellowed to that tender light, which Heaven to gaudy day denies."_

"Josh. . ."

"You looked really beautiful tonight," Josh told her. "I think I forgot to tell you that too."

"Oh Josh. . ."

Ava felt a thrill of excitement tingle down her spine. This had to be it! A confession, a kiss. . . something that would finally get them together. She lay as still as possible and held her breath and crossed her fingers.

But _nothing_ happened (STILL!).

Ava was about to sit up in bed and start screaming at them to do _something_ when Josh told Maya that he had to go. He was gone as quickly as he had come and Ava was _fuming_ , except she did her best to still pretend she was asleep when Maya crawled into bed next to her, dress and all.

Ava could have sworn she felt Maya's happiness radiating from her. With her eyes still closed, she rolled over on her side and placed her hand over the other older girl's if just to capture a little bit of what she was feeling right in that moment.

 **.**

Josh and Maya were sitting cross-legged in the living room bay window, they were both holding guitars and strumming on them, trying to decide what to sing at _Topanga's_ for open mic night the next week.

Auggie and Ava were watching them from around the corner because the older pair had said they didn't want an audience yet. But Ava hadn't been able to resist seeing what happened with them next.

" _She's been my queen since we were sixteen, want the same things, we dream the same dreams,"_ Josh sang as Maya strummed her guitar. He stopped and shook his head.

"I don't think it's going to work," he said.

"You were doing such a good job though!" Maya protested.

"So? I want to sing with _you_ ," Josh answered as he plugged something into his computer. A few seconds later, he was playing chords and singing again. _"I think the universe is on my side, heaven and earth have finally aligned. Days are good and that's the way it should be."_

He nodded at Maya and she scooted a little closer to see his computer.

" _You sprinkle stardust on my pillowcase, it's like a moonbeam brushed across my face. . . nights are good and that's the way it should be. . ."_

"They sing well together," Ava whispered to Auggie.

"They do _everything_ well together!" Auggie replied.

Ava couldn't argue with _that_.

 **.**

"Happy New Year Auggie," Ava said before giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Happy New Year Ava," Auggie replied, returning her kiss with one of his own, he lowered his voice. "Look!"

Maya turned her head and saw Josh and Maya locked in what looked to be a passionate kiss. Her eyes lit up and she looked at Auggie, jumping up and down a little bit. "Oh my gosh _this_ is it! _Finally!_ This is _finally_ it!"

Except the two of them ran away after the kiss was over. Ava wanted to scream in frustration and stomp her feet and demand that they talk. But Cory and Riley went after them, so she thought that maybe everything actually would be okay.

 **.**

They got married a little while later, it wasn't right away. But their courtship did not last as long as their pretending to be _"just friends"_ had lasted.

While Maya walked down the aisle towards Josh, Ava watched him. He was looking at her the same way he always did, except there was something more in his gaze. Like his whole entire life had been leading up to this _very_ moment but at the same time, he couldn't believe that he had actually gotten there.

Josh took Maya's hand when she had reached him and together they went on to their happily ever after.

And Ava smiled.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note:**

 _ **The End**_ **does not literally mean it's the end, I still have two more installments left. I hope you enjoyed reading this, it isn't nearly as long as I would have liked it to be and Ava's voice is incredibly tricky to write. I do not have the tendencies of a spoiled brat, to be honest. But I put my best effort in. Hopefully Auggie will prove to be easier than his girlfriend. The quotes in this story are from Lord Byron and from** _ **Persuasion**_ **by Jane Austen.**

 **I'll be back on Monday with a story for Joshaya Appreciation week on tumblr. I hope I'll see you guys then.**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Lots of Love,**

 **Holly, 11/6/2015_**


	16. Auggie Matthews

**Shout-Outs: Hoalover716, Elaina Parker, Freshman11, lalaland,**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Rated: K+**

 **.**

 **Chapter 16**

 _The Nephew  
_

 _Once upon a time ago, in a state 1 hour and 48 minutes away, the Prince of Philadelphia met the Princess from Brooklyn and everybody around them knew their lives would never be the same. Even though the two kids didn't know it yet._

At least that's how young August Matthews _thought_ the story went. He had heard it so many times, he had started to remake it in a more interesting way. Because meeting on a summer's day while Uncle Josh made chocolate chip cookies was just kind of. . . well, boring. It wouldn't impress Dewey or Ava _at all_ if the story was ordinary.

But Dewey could care less about his uncle and his future aunt and he just confused Ava, even though she was one of the biggest Josh & Maya "supporters" that he knew. She had caught on that he was telling the stories wrong, she just didn't know he was telling the stories wrong on _purpose_.

 **.**

"Tell me your earliest memory of Josh and Maya," Ava said one day.

"My earliest memory?" Auggie repeated. "Ava, I'm only six. I can't really remember my first real memory of them. They've just always been there. . . together."

"Oh."

"The earliest memories I have of them are the stories," Auggie continued.

"I want to know everything about them," Ava told him.

"Of course you do."

Ava sighed. "It isn't fair that everybody else around here gets to know _everything_."

"I know. You've said as much before," Auggie answered, smiling at her and slinging his arm around her. "Come on, we'll go and dig up some old photo albums. There are plenty of pictures of them together."

Ava grinned at him, satisfied for the time-being.

"This is the time they ever danced together. It was at my Aunt Morgan and Uncle Mark's wedding," Auggie explained to her, a large scrapbook spread over both their knees, he turned the page. "This is when they went to a Broadway show, after Josh 'found' Maya's smile."

"Maya lost her smile?" Ava asked her eyes wide.

"I think it was. . . kind of well, you know. . . she lost it figuratively," Auggie explained. "After her daddy left her. Josh was the only one who could get it back."

Ava nodded in understanding. "I see."

Auggie turned the page and continued telling her stories about all the pictures in the album because the stories were _truly_ his first memories of Josh and Maya together.

 **.**

"He's my uncle!" Auggie shouted.

"He's my _husband_!" Maya shouted back.

Auggie released Josh then and put his hands up in mock defeat. He couldn't argue with _that_. "Congratulations!" he answered, trying not to laugh.

He went over to Ava, who was smirking and he shook his head.

"I wasn't going to say anything!" Ava protested.

"I'm just making sure," Auggie answered, looking back at Josh and Maya and the rest of the night dragged on with comments about how Maya was too young for Josh and how Maya was in it for the long game.

And Auggie knew it all had to be an act.

 **.**

As soon as Maya left, Auggie dialed Ava's number.

"I think Josh and Maya had a fight!" He told her.

"What do you mean they had a fight? I didn't think people like Josh and Maya fought!"

"It was about something really, really dumb," Auggie answered. "Somebody asked Maya out and she asked Josh if she should go out with him. I don't think it went over very well. Because she's gone now. Riley thinks she went to Philadelphia to talk to him."

"I'll be right over!" Ava told him. "I want to be there when she gets back!"

"It might be a while," Auggie warned.

"That's okay, nobody will notice that I'm missing!" Ava said.

A few hours later, when Josh and Maya showed up at the apartment together.

"Ava, Auggie. . . you two better go to Auggie's room," Topanga told them.

Ava and Auggie both exchanged disappointed looks before taking their sweet time to do as they were told.

"Don't close the door!" Ava told him. "I want to see if they get into trouble or not."

Auggie nodded. "Right."

They both sat near the door and listened in. Ava's face fell when she realized that there wasn't going to be any scoldings or punishments even though Maya _had_ left the city without permission.

Something really good came out of Maya's impromptu trip to Philly. Everybody said things were back to normal between the pair, just like when they were kids. But even Auggie could tell that there was something different between them.

The long game was definitely afoot and it was as real as ever.

 **.**

Auggie was lying on his belly, playing with his race cars while Josh read to Maya in the other room, he listened uninterestedly as he ran the red Mustang back and forth over his hand.

" _You pierce my soul, I am half agony, half hope. . . I have loved none but you_ ," Josh said.

It was just a bunch of nonsense to Auggie, for once in his life he could care less about the exchange going on between Maya and Josh.

"I think he means it!" Ava whispered her voice laced with excitement.

"He most likely does," he agreed, looking up at her. "Wait!? What does he mean?"

"That he has loved none but her!"

"Josh? You mean he's not done reading that dumb book yet!?"

Ava rolled her eyes. _"Boys!"_

"It's _just_ a school assignment," Auggie felt compelled to remind her. "Remember? He asked her if he could read to her because he kept losing his place."

"And so! I still think he means it!" Ava answered strongly. "I don't think you saw the way he was looking at her when he read it. Don't argue with me, August Matthews because you know I'm _always_ right."

Only part of that statement was true, he hadn't been paying attention to the way Josh had been reading _Persuadings_ but Auggie _did_ know better than to argue with Ava Morgenstern.

"Whatever you say dear," Auggie answered.

"Good answer!" Ava said, petting him on the head before turning back to look at Josh and Maya.

This time, Auggie _did_ pay attention. Josh had stopped reading and they were just looking at each other, not speaking until Maya took the book from Josh and turned to a random page.

" _There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison,"_ Maya answered his earlier reading.

Auggie noticed that they were both smiling.

 **.**

Josh and Maya were babysitting him and Ava, and somehow they had all started to dance.

It was probably Josh and Maya's idea because they were always looking for an excuse to dance with each other because it gave them an excuse to touch each other or something like that.

They could do whatever they wanted, Auggie just didn't care. Not really, anyways.

"It's so romantic," Ava giggled when Maya had rested her forehead against Josh's.

Auggie smiled in agreement.

 **.**

The whole entire family had taken a vacation in the Cape and Auggie was supposed to be in bed but the sounds coming from the other room were just way too alluring to ignore, especially for a little boy. He crept out of his bedroom as quietly as he could and spied Maya and Josh on the living room watching a scary movie on Netflix.

"Oh my gosh!" Maya screeched burying her face in Josh's shoulder as the music intensified.

"It's just a movie Maya!" Josh said, laughing a little bit but he put his arms around Maya and pulled her closer all the same. "It's okay, I've got you! I won't let Freddy Kruger get you."

"Stop laughing at me, Joshua!" Maya mumbled.

"Sorry. I'm not laughing at you because I'm making fun of you though. You're just so _adorable_!"

Maya peeked at him and laughed. "Stop it!"

"No, you really are!" Josh said. "Come on, we'll shut off the movie and watch something else. Okay?"

"We don't have to. . ." Maya told him as she snuggled closer. "I know that you'll keep me safe."

"Always," Josh swore, pulling her closer.

 **.**

"I can't believe I'm _sick_!" Maya said as she covered a huge sneeze with the sleeve of her t-shirt. "And I can't believe mom is in New Jersey at a cooking convention. I know it's for her job but I don't like it when she's gone and I'm sick."

"Geez Maya, it's just a _cold_!" Auggie reminded her.

"Auggie, _hush_!" Josh scolded. "You were worse than her when you were sick a week ago. Remember?"

Auggie shut his mouth because his uncle was right, he _had_ acted like he was dying a week ago. Maya had nothing on him, she just wanted her mother. He couldn't fault her for _that_ , lots of people wanted their mothers when they were sick.

He watched as Josh pushed her hair out of her face and fixed the throw blankets that were covering her.

"Don't worry about anything Maya," he said. "I'm going to take care of you the whole time. Thankfully I have spring break this week, so I can look after you properly."

Maya looked at him in surprise. "I thought you were supposed to be going to Cancun with your friends!"

Josh shook his head. "I would rather be here with the family and with you."

Maya and Auggie looked at each other questioningly.

Maya shook her head as another earth-shattering shook her tiny body. "But Josh. . ." another sneeze. "I thought you were actually looking forward to Cancun!"

Josh nodded. "Yeah but Cancun isn't as beautiful as you are, I'm sure."

Auggie rolled his eyes. "Oh brother."

"Do you know how sick I am?" Maya asked incredulously. "I bet my nose is as red as Rudolph's right about now!"

"Redder," Auggie offered.

"Auggie!" Josh said sharply.

"I'll go and see if the chicken soup is ready!" Auggie said.

He peeked around the corner, Josh was _still_ fussing over Maya, fixing the blankets that he had already fixed and fluffing her pillows. Maya was just staring at him in the most unabashed way that he had ever seen her staring at him before.

When Josh caught her looking at him, he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She closed her eyes and caught his hand in her's and that's the way they stayed the rest of the afternoon.

Ava was not going to believe him when he told her that he had seen Josh kiss Maya even though it was just on the forehead.

 **.**

" _You look so wonderful in your dress. . ."_

"Josh! We're supposed to be practicing our song!" Maya protested as he plunked out the notes on the keyboard and sang from memory perfectly.

" _. . .I love your hair like that, the way it falls on the side of your neck, down your shoulders and back. ."_

" _Josh!"_ Maya said again, putting her hands on her hips and looking at him crossly.

" _. . We are surrounded by all of these lies and people that talk too much. You've got that kind of look in your eyes as if no one knows anything but us. . ."_

"Joshua Matthews, we only have three more days to learn this song! You better stop fooling around!"

" _. . .should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know it's enough for me. 'Cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need. . . I'm so in love! So in love,"_ Josh sang despite her constant beratement.

"I am dead serious. Stop fooling around now or I'll call your mother!"

" _. . .you look so beautiful in this light, your silhouette over me. The way it brings out the blue in your eyes is the Tenerife Sea. . ."_

" _. . .and all of the voices surrounding us here, they just fade out when you take a breath. Just say the word and then we'll disappear into the wilderness. Should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know it's enough for me. 'Cause all that you are is all I'll ever need. . ."_ Josh paused for a second and looked straight at Maya. _"I'm so in love!"_

Auggie's eyes widened from his spot behind the couch.

In his mind, the lyrics were as good as an outright confession. He knew it and God knew it too, but he wasn't so sure his uncle and Maya knew it. They most likely did but like everything else between them, they were choosing to ignore it.

Typical Josh and Maya.

Auggie was getting pretty sick of them and the way they constantly danced around what was between them.

It was _so_ annoying!

 _They_ were so annoying!

 **.**

It happened on New Year's Eve.

Auggie felt like everybody was going to release a sigh of collective relief when Josh and Maya _finally_ kissed when the ball dropped. It lasted a little too long for a celebratory kiss and when they had pulled away, they both ran to opposite ends of the house instead of going off together and _finally_ talking about a dozen years of the suppressed feelings between them.

Ava was standing beside him, fuming. Riley followed Maya while his dad trailed after Josh.

Auggie sighed in relief.

His father would help sort everything out. He usually did.

 **.**

They were getting married.

Auggie smoothed out his bowtie and smiled at himself in the mirror, giving himself a thumb's up while Josh fidgeted with his own bowtie beside him.

"Calm down man, you've loved her since you were a little boy!" Auggie said. "What gives?"

"What if she changes her mind?"

"She's not going to change her mind Josh."

"How do you know Cory?"

"Because she's loved you for just as long," Cory told him.

Auggie nodded even though he still only knew that she had loved him that long because of the stories but still, it felt right to reassure him especially given how precarious the situation could be if he didn't agree with him.

"You're going to do _great_ ," Auggie added, smiling at him and he really meant it because he had always believed it.

He was still rooting for them.

His uncle and his new aunt.

They would find their happily ever after.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **One more and then I'm done with this universe. I'm probably going to take a break the week after next because it's the day after Thanksgiving and I have plans. It's the kickoff of our huge Christmas celebration. Anyways, I'll make official announcements** _ **next**_ **week. In the meantime, I hope you'll tell me what you thought of this piece. I didn't think it would be this long but it turned out that I was wrong.**

 **In case you missed it, I have four or five stories posted for Joshaya Appreciation week on tumblr. You can check those out if you'd like. Lastly, keep me in your thoughts. I have a procedure on Wednesday. Routine stuff, just checking my reflux. BUT if I get a good report, I won't need another one until I'm 35.**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **Lots of Love,**

 **Holly, 11/13/2015_**


	17. Josh Matthews & Maya Hart

**Shout-Outs: ShadowCat17, Hoalover716 and Guest**

 **Rated: K+**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **.**

 **Chapter 17**

 _The Observed_

She had heard stories about the Uncles Eric and Joshua, but she had thought they'd be as old as Mr. Matthews, not young and beautiful with dimples and a princely smile. She was too young to realize what was going on the first time they met, she didn't recognize the way her heart skip a beat when he looked at her or the funny feeling in her tummy either. . . fluttering, there was definitely fluttering, like butterflies or something.

But she liked it.

She liked _him_.

And she knew that if they went to the same school, she wouldn't mind marrying him in a playground wedding ceremony during recess even though she was sure all the other girls in the school would feel the same way about him and they would all be locked in a contest for his attention.

But thankfully he lived in Philadelphia and he belonged to her for the summer. She knew that and he knew that and everything in her world was wonderful.

 **.**

It was the best summer of her life. That was saying something because she _was_ only five and she hadn't lived long enough yet to actually have the best summer of her life but she would remember as long as she lived trying to wrap her tiny arms around his neck while he whirled her around the living room to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" and "Kiss the Girl".

She would giggle every time he leaned in and tried to steal a kiss, unafraid of cooties apparently. One time when nobody was looking, she let him do it, when it was over she scrutinized him.

"Well, it doesn't look like you turned into a frog," she said.

"You've got the story completely reversed, Princess," Josh told her. "In the end, she kisses him and then he turns into a prince, not a frog! He's _already_ a frog, you see."

"Mmmh," Maya replied. "It should have been the other way around, if you ask _me_!"

"Well, who asked you?" Josh answered, spinning her out and almost losing grip of her hand.

"Hey, watch it!" Maya said. "You almost dropped me!"

"I would never drop you Maya," Josh promised, holding onto her a little more tightly. _"Not ever."_

 _Not ever_ sounded very good to Maya.

Summer ended faster than either of them would have liked and they had to go their separate ways.

When Maya got home, there was a lot more changes in her life than meeting the boy who had seemingly put the stars in the sky. Suddenly, _not ever_ seemed impossible and everything she had ever believed proved to be a lie.

 **.**

"Come on Maya, you _have_ to smile!" Josh prodded, distressed by the thin line of her mouth.

"Says who?"

Josh shook his head. "Nobody. I just don't like it when you're sad."

Maya sighed. "Well. Get used to it. Whether you like it or not this is the new me, Josh."

Josh looked a little taken aback. No girl he knew talked like that, they were all too young. He wondered where she could have heard language like _that_ but he didn't let it faze him. Instead, he summoned up all the magic he could and tried to make her smile for what seemed like the umpteenth time since he'd arrived in New York.

"But I _can't_ get used to it," he told her. "I like your smile too much to get used to it."

Maya looked at him, her blue eyes were impossibly sad. Josh's breath caught in his throat and he prayed that this would be the moment. . . the moment where she would smile and he'd be sure of everything in his life again.

"You really like it when I smile?" Maya asked cautiously.

Josh nodded. "I really do."

Maya sighed and then she offered him a ghost of a smile, it was gone as soon as it had appeared.

He shook his head. "Not big enough."

Maya tried again, it lasted a little longer this time. "Josh, stop it!" she begged as soon as it had disappeared.

" _Never!"_ Josh declared. "Not until you smile again, longer this time and you really have to mean it!"

"I mean it!" Maya answered defensively.

"You do not!" Josh replied. "Do I have to tickle you? Is that it?"

"No! I'm smiling! I'm smiling!" Maya shrieked, tugging the corners of her lips into the largest smile that she could muster.

"There it is! I knew you still had it in you!" Josh said, throwing his arms around her in a warm embrace.

Maya even giggled a little as she hugged him back, looking up at him with wide eyes that held a sort of admiration that had only belonged to him since they had met the year before. He hugged her a little tighter, not dropping her like he had promised her the year before.

 **.**

They were at Morgan's wedding and Maya was wearing a sparkly white dress and daisy crown that matched Riley's even though she hadn't been a part of the bridal party like her brunette best friend and Josh was looking at her like she was a Disney princess.

"Come on and dance with me, Maya!" Josh begged as soon as the music had started, trying to tug her away from Riley and the kid's table.

"Okay," Maya agreed, brushing her fingers through her tangled blonde curls before slipping out of the white patent leather Mary Jane's she was wearing.

Josh pulled her to the dance floor and put his arms around her, they swayed together to the music. They were caught up in their own little world, completely oblivious to the world around them as they twirled and whirled to a whole playlist of songs.

Maya might have only been ten but she wanted a whole lifetime of Josh and the whole entire Matthews family and white light dances.

 _Maya Matthews_ had a really nice ring to it.

She didn't know that there were going to be sixteen other people who agreed with her one day.

 **.**

It had been four years since Josh had seen Maya and she was even prettier than he remembered. He was incredibly happy to see her and he was even more thrilled when she threw her arms around him.

"Uncle Josh!" She said.

"I'm not your uncle, Maya!" Josh reminded her, still unable to put his arms around her and hug her back because he wouldn't be able to stop if he did and now was not the time to actually pursue things with her. They were both on different paths in life.

"Even better," Maya said, hugging him tighter.

Riley pulled Maya off of him and he was able to look at her even closer. His heart stopped in his throat and he was almost at a loss for words.

"It's-it's been a while," Josh stuttered.

"It has," Maya agreed merrily.

He rubbed the back of his neck, he was a complete goner. "Well. You grew up gorgeous," he said.

And she beamed as he tried to get away from her as fast as possible because he would do something that he was supposed to regret later on and wouldn't because he knew they were supposed to be together one day.

He could feel her eyes following him as he left the room and all he wanted to do was stay.

 **.**

She was standing in front of him, her heart beating out of her chest as she confessed her feelings for him in front of Riley, and God and complete strangers. . . all of them encouraging in their own right.

Maya almost expected him to reject her like he had been doing ever since they'd met again at Christmas. He didn't say anything, all he did was get up and take her and Riley home because that was just the kind of guy that he was.

Later on, he promised that he'd stop looking at her like a little girl and treating her more maturely.

But it still felt like they were a million miles apart from each other.

 **.**

Josh couldn't believe her audacity.

She was calling him to ask if she should go on a date with somebody. It made him angrier than it should have. He had no right to her, he had spent the better part of six months telling her that he was too old for her.

Part of him had hoped that she wouldn't listen to him and that she would continue to pursue him relentlessly.

He didn't expect her to even consider accepting dates from other guys. . . from other guys who weren't _him_.

Who did she think she was? Was she trying to make him jealous? Was she trying to get a reaction from him? He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. Before he could stop them, words were flowing out of his mouth.

"Do whatever you want Maya!" He practically snarled. "Fine! Go out with him then! I _don't_ care! No, I'm not lying to you. I _really_ don't care if you go out with him or not! It's your life, you can do whatever you want. I don't even know why you called me in the first place! Fine, maybe I will! Don't you dare hang up first Maya Hart! Hey, I told you not to hang up on me!"

He growled at the phone with frustration before angrily throwing it on the bed. Something white hot was spreading through him and threatening to burst forth in all its green-eyed glory. His mother called him out and said he was jealous, which he denied vehemently because it wouldn't be fair to her if he were jealous.

"You're still going crazy over the fact that somebody who isn't _you_ wants to spend time with her. Aren't you?" Amy said as she smoothed his hair away from his face.

"No. . ." Josh lied before sighing. "Well, okay, maybe a _little_. But I shouldn't feel this way! I should be okay with the fact that guys her _own_ age are interested in her."

Amy sighed. "I don't think you're really angry with _Maya_. You're angry with yourself because you're jealous and you're having feelings for her that you don't think you should. Right?"

Josh thought about it for a minute and then nodded his head. "I'm not angry with Maya. No matter how hard I've tried to be angry with her since we met up again in December. . . I can't. I think I really. . ." he trailed off, stopping short of a confession.

Amy smiled and gestured towards his phone. "You better call and make things right with her, Josh."

He tried but it went straight to voicemail. Josh looked at his mother pitifully. "She doesn't want to talk to me," he said, comically mournful.

"Keep trying," Amy said. "I'm going to unload the dishwasher."

1 hour and 36 minutes later, Josh was trying to work on homework in the kitchen. He had been calling Maya every three minutes, with the same results; she still hadn't picked up her phone. Josh was lamenting about how _badly_ he had screwed things up and banging his pencil against the table when there was a sharp knock on the glass door.

When Amy saw his mouth drop open, she went over to see who was there. It was Maya, staring at him with unblinking eyes, shivering in the cool spring evening.

"Well, just don't stand there!" Amy told him. Let her in!"

"Oh right!" Josh said, going over to the door and opening it. He looked back at her for the longest time before laughing and rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey Maya, does your mom know you're here?"

"What makes you think you have the right to talk to me like that!?" Maya answered, hitting him on the chest as she came into the house. "Hah? You aren't my brother and you most certainly aren't my _boyfriend_. I'm not sure we're even friends. So, what gives Matthews!?"

"Ouch! Will you please stop it Maya?" Josh asked, trying to shield himself from her blows.

" _Answer me!"_ Maya demanded. " _What_ gives you the _right_ to talk to me like that!?"

"Nothing! Okay? I'm sorry! I shouldn't have gotten angry with you. I was. . ." Josh trailed off and looked helplessly at Amy.

"You're on your own, son," Amy told him.

"You were _what_?" Maya asked, gently putting a hand on his arm.

"We're friends," Josh said. "I want you to know that . . . we _are_ friends! And I just want you to be careful. I care about you Maya. I have ever since the first day we met all those years ago."

"We're _friends_?" Maya repeated. "I spent all of my birthday money so you could tell me that we're _friends_?"

Josh smiled at her. "The next time we fight, I'll make the trip. Okay?"

Maya sighed. "Just for you to know, I told him that I wasn't interested in going out with him. Okay?"

"Really?" Josh asked, relief coursing through his whole entire body.

Maya nodded. "Really, I guess I'm still stuck on somebody else. Crazy, isn't it?"

Josh shook his head. "No. No, it isn't. Maybe he's a little bit stuck on you too. But listen Maya, he wants you to go and live your life. Don't sit around waiting for someday to come around. It'll be here before either of you know it and then you'll wish you had seen what else was out there."

Maya shook her head too. "No," she said. "No, I'm pretty sure that I would _never_ wish for something like that."

 **.**

Maya banged on Josh's dorm door, trembling with cold and tears. She was completely mortified, she couldn't believe her evening had ended so badly. It was her first school dance, it was supposed to be magical.

After a few minutes, Josh pulled the door open, dressed in plaid pajamas and rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "Maya! What are you doing here? Isn't tonight supposed to be the school dance? It's almost midnight. . . come on Maya, tell me what happened."

"I was just a cover. . ." Maya whispered. "I was just a cover for the girl he really wanted to go with but couldn't because his parents don't like her. I didn't know until we got there that he didn't want to be with me tonight. I didn't even get to dance."

"Lucas and Farkle must have. . ."

Maya shook her head. "They would have but I hid in the bathroom for the whole entire evening."

"That's not the Maya Hart, I know and. . ." Josh trailed off and shook his head. "The Maya Hart that I know would have let that loser know what he was missing out on."

Maya sighed. "I know, I know. I just couldn't do it this time, I don't think I can always be brave though, no matter how hard I try."

"You don't have to," Josh told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Hold on a second, I'll be right back."

He disappeared into his dorm for a few seconds and came back, holding his iPod and Bluetooth speaker.

"What are you doing, Josh?" Maya asked.

"I'm going to dance with you," Josh answered. "You deserve at least one dance tonight."

He put a song on and whirled and twirled her around the dorm hallway.

"Sorry for interrupting your evening," Maya whispered as he pulled her into his arms.

"I always have time for you, Maya," Josh assured her. "I'm just sorry your first dance turned out that way. It should have been special, it shouldn't have ended with you showing up at my dorm at midnight, soaking wet and all alone. . . and crying. You especially shouldn't be crying tonight."

"I'm fine," Maya said.

"You keep saying that," Josh answered, wiping away a smudge of mascara from under her eye. "You don't have to be brave though, it's just you and me. I can see you."

Maya sniffed a little bit. "It shouldn't matter because I didn't want to go with him. I would rather spend my night with you than any other guy. But it _does_ matter a little bit because it turns out that he wanted to be with somebody else and not _me_. What's wrong with me, Josh?"

" _Nothing!"_ Josh said, pulling her into his arms and giving her a fierce hug. "There's _nothing_ wrong with you Maya! You're perfect, that guy was a _jerk_! He lost out. He couldn't see how amazing you really are."

Maya looked up at him. "You really think so?"

"I don't think so. . . I _know_ so," Josh answered.

 **.**

Maya Hart was _not_ his girl. Not exclusively anyways, sure he hadn't had any other dates in a long time but that didn't mean she belonged to him. She wasn't property, she could dance with whoever she wanted to. She could talk to whoever she wanted to. It didn't faze him, not really. . . and yet, he wondered if he gave Zay the death glare long enough, he would stop dancing with his girl.

Because for better or worse, whether either of them liked it or not. .. she _was_ his. She wouldn't like it if he danced with somebody else at a party. They were supposed to dance with each other thathad been established a long time ago.

With a newfound determination, he strode towards Zay and Maya.

Zay pushed Maya away and shielded his face with his arms. "Sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't know you guys were. . . that you usually danced with her!"

"Do you mind if I cut in?" Josh asked tersely.

Zay lowered his arms. "You mean you're _not_ going to punch me?"

Josh fixed him with another death glare. "Are you going to let me dance with her or not?"

"Sure!" Zay answered. "You know we were just dancing as friends, I don't like her like that. . . if I had known it would have made you this upset, I would have never asked her if. . ."

But Josh had already whisked an amused looking Maya away.

"Okay Hart, you proved your point!"

"What point?" Maya asked with the same innocence from a few moments before.

"I don't like it when we're not together! And maybe we should just wait for each other until society says that it's acceptable for us to be more than friends," Josh answered. "Are you happy?"

"Very," Maya answered, looking at him with the look that belonged only to him. For his part, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

.

"Josh?" Maya said one night when she was a senior in high school.

"Yeah, Maya?" Josh asked juggling a large textbook and his leather messenger bag.

"I was wondering if you would be my prom date?" Maya asked straight off and not all like she had rehearsed it with Riley and Auggie two days earlier. "Please?"

"You want me to be your prom date?" Josh asked his book crashed to the floor.

"Just as friends!" Maya said quickly even though _she_ knew and _he_ knew that they really wouldn't be going just as friends, they were lying to themselves and everybody else because they still didn't want to mess things up by taking the leap from just friends into something more.

"I wasn't saying I wouldn't go with you," Josh told her gently. "I might have to clear a few things off my schedule but that's as good as done. Now are you sure that you want me to be your prom date?"

"Yeah," Maya answered. "Besides, it isn't like anybody else has asked me to go."

"They haven't?" Josh asked a note of surprise in his voice, he didn't like the thought of other guys going to the prom with her and getting to tell her how beautiful she looked. But he wasn't blind, she should have had more offers than she knew what to do with. She was gorgeous and fun to be around, any guy would have been _lucky_ to take her to prom.

Maya shook her head. "Nope."

"Well. . ." Josh trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck like he usually did when he was around Maya. "Well. I would be honored to take you to your prom, Maya."

Maya breathed a sigh of relief. She would have been completely embarrassed if he had told her _no_. Showing up at the senior prom without a date would have completely ruined her high school career, it was bad enough that almost half the boys had already labeled her as a lesbian while the other half had labeled her as a _prude_.

She had tried not to care because on the weekends, she had Josh waiting for her at the New York library where he would read the most beautiful poetry to her before taking her to share an ice cream sundae at Serendipity Cafe and he put his arms around her when they were walking. He was as good as any boyfriend, even more so because he didn't expect anything from her except for her to be there and he, in turn, was there for her.

It all worked out in the end.

The high school girls could have the high school boys.

She already had her prince.

 **.**

Maya was literally stealing Josh's breath away. He knew he was supposed to say something, maybe take a cue from Lucas and tell her how beautiful that she looked or maybe steal from one of his favorites. . . R.M Drake or Austen or Lord Byron because he couldn't think of anything original to say but he just stood, staring at her completely dumbfounded. If he hadn't already fallen for her once upon a time ago, he definitely would have done it tonight even though it would have probably been a little shallow.

She was looking at him expectantly, like she was waiting for him to say something. . . to say anything like he was supposed to. But he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried, he just hoped that she wouldn't be too disappointed in him.

The night passed in a blur and suddenly, it was the last dance of the evening. But nobody else was on the dance floor except for them. The DJ was playing a different version of one of their many songs and he drew her closer, the whole school was watching but he didn't care.

Not dancing with her wasn't an option. It never was.

Josh felt like this was supposed to be the moment they got together. The setting was perfect but like telling her how beautiful she looked, he couldn't bring himself to kiss her or to do anything that real couples did.

If she was disappointed by the turn of events, she hid it extremely well.

Later that night, he was sitting in his dorm trying to put the finishing touches on an essay when he realized what he had done. He scribbled a note for his roommate on the off chance he surfaced from the love of his week and dashed out of his room as fast as he could.

Sure, he couldn't give her all of what she wanted tonight but he could give her something.

He sprinted up the fire escape and tapped on the bay window. Maya opened it and Josh stuck his head inside.

"Yes?" She whispered because Ava was snoring loudly in Riley's bed.

Josh took a deep breath, his heart pounding out of his chest. "I forgot something."

"Oh?" Maya asked softly.

Josh cleared his throat. _"She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright. Meet in her aspects and her eyes; thus mellowed to that tender light, which Heaven to gaudy day denies."_

"Josh. . ."

"You looked really beautiful tonight," Josh told her. "I think I forgot to tell you that too."

"Oh Josh. . ." Maya looked like she was going to kiss him then and as much as he wanted her to, as much as he wanted to kiss her there was still something stopping him.

"I have to go," he told her.

To his relief, Maya didn't look too disappointed by the kiss that missed. In fact, she looked _happy_ despite the fact that he was holding them back from being official.

"I'll see you later, Josh."

"Goodnight Maya," Josh said, brushing a kiss across her cheek at the last second.

 **.**

They were supposed to be practicing for their duet at _Topanga's_ but instead of singing "Bright", Josh was plunking notes out on the piano and looking at her with a silly grin on his face.

" _You look so wonderful in your dress. . ."_

"Josh! We're supposed to be practicing our song!" Maya protested as he sang from memory perfectly.

" _. . . I love your hair like that, the way it falls on the side of your neck, down your shoulders and back. . ."_

"Josh!" Maya said again, putting her hands on her hips and looking at him crossly, the meaning of what he was singing was completely lost on her, the fact that he was singing _to_ her was completely lost on her for that matter.

" _. . We are surrounded by all of these lies and people that talk too much. You've got that kind of look in your eyes as if no one knows anything but us. . ."_

"Joshua Matthews, we only have three more days to learn this song! You better stop fooling around!"

" _. . .should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know it's enough for me. 'Cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need. . . I'm so in love! So in love," Josh sang despite her constant beratement._

"I am dead serious. Stop fooling around now or I'll call your mother!"

" _. . .you look so beautiful in this light, your silhouette over me. The way it brings out the blue in your eyes is the Tenerife Sea. . ."_

" _. . .and all of the voices surrounding us here, they just fade out when you take a breath. Just say the word and then we'll disappear into the wilderness. Should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know it's enough for me. 'Cause all that you are is all I'll ever need. . ."_ Josh paused for a second and looked straight at Maya. _"I'm so in love!"_

It was a quasi-confession but instead of doing anything about it or throwing her arms around him and saying that she loved him too, Maya picked up her guitar and started to sing the song that they were supposed to be practicing.

She didn't know it but it was sort of an answer to his confession.

 **.**

They were the only ones _not_ kissing at the stroke of midnight, so with Frank Sinatra and a million cheering New Yorkers as their soundtrack, he pulled her into his arms for their first kiss.

Once he got started, he couldn't stop. It seemed like it was the same story for her, all it took was his lips on her's and they had both lost all of the control they had built over the course of a dozen or more years.

It lasted longer than a New Year's kiss should have lasted but Josh didn't want it to end. So, when it did, he didn't know why they both ran in opposite directions of the house when they should have disappeared _together_.

Josh wasn't surprised to find out his older brother had followed him.

"It's time," Cory said.

"What if it ends badly?" Josh asked.

"If it was going to end, it would have ended a long time ago," Cory answered. "I see the way you look at her. I see the way she looks at you. You're a Matthews, you were designed to last. Maya wants something that'll last, it'll all work out in the end."

"What if I'm not what she wants?"

Cory laughed. "But you are what she wants. You've been what she's wanted for a long time now. It's time Josh. Don't be afraid, fear is what's keeping you from something beautiful. Something you could have had for a long time now. Go and get her, Josh."

She was sitting outside with Riley, saying something about how she could get everything that she wanted and it wouldn't be what she expected.

"I'm never going to let that happen!" Josh declared, pushing the door open and joining them. "I am going to spend the rest of my life making sure life never disappoints you and if it does, I'm going to try as hard as I can to make it better."

Riley excused herself, it was obvious she was barely able to contain her excitement and Josh couldn't help but wonder how many of their family members and friends actually knew about them.

But thoughts of _that_ completely disappeared when he looked at the object of his affections and realized there was so much he could tell her, that there was so much he _needed_ to say.

He reached out and cupped her frozen cheeks with his hands. "First let me start off by saying just how much I love you Maya. Second let me tell you how long I have loved you and let me finish by telling you just how long I am planning on loving you."

"Okay," Maya agreed in a whisper.

"But first. . ." Josh trailed off, not finishing his thought as he kissed her for a second time that night, this time he had no intention of stopping until he had to and she kissed him right back.

 **.**

Maya couldn't believe it was happening. Never in her wildest dreams did she think Josh would propose. Yes, he had promised that he would never let her fall and at the dawn of the New Year, he had told her that he would love her _forever_ but she hadn't ever allowed herself to believe it to be true.

She had wanted it to be true.

However, there was always small part of her that was still so hurt, still a tiny bit damaged that she couldn't allow herself to believe in happily ever after.

But now, with Josh kneeling in front of her with a diamond ring that suited her tastes and lifestyle _perfectly_.

" _If I lived a million lives, I would've felt a million feelings and I still would've fallen a million times for you,"_ Josh quoted, looking her square in the eyes. "Please Maya, please say you'll marry me."

Maya got down in front of him and pushed his hair away from his eyes. "I will marry you Josh," she answered. "I love you."

Josh smiled and put the ring on her finger. "I love you too."

 **.**

Josh couldn't take his eyes off of her as she was walking down the aisle towards him. All those years of loving her had finally culminated in _this_. . . in forever. But the long game was far from over, in fact it was just beginning and he was looking forward to seeing where it took them.

 **.**

"Introducing for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Matthews!" Eric announced as they entered the reception hall, hand-in-hand.

Maya's mouth hurt from smiling too much. She didn't think she could be happier than she was in that moment but she had a lifetime for her new husband to prove her wrong, she was looking forward to forever.

He had kept his promise to her and been with her through everything just like he had promised.

Their song started to play and Josh turned to her, smiling. "Mrs. Matthews?"

"Yes, Mr. Matthews?" She asked.

"May I have this dance?"

"Always," Maya answered, allowing him to sweep her onto the dance floor and into happily ever after.

 **_The End_**

 **.**

 **Author's Note:**

 **That's all for now. I think I have three or four more one-shots in this world but they will all be from Maya and Josh's POV and I will only be posting them as I get inspired and after the holidays. Anyways, thank you so much for sticking with this story. It was a long haul, I know and a lot of the time I don't think I even knew what I was writing but I enjoyed every second of it. I am taking next week off because I have Black Friday plans but I will be back December 4th with a new holiday story. Lastly, let me apologize for posting the last installment a day late.**

 **I had a procedure on Wednesday and a biopsy, I have a little stomach inflammation (but it can all be reversed). Other than that, I got a clean bill of health. My reason for the late update is because I was under the influence of anesthesia all day on Wednesday and I watched Glee and Hallmark all day.**

 **Please tell me what you thought of this chapter. And a very Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers.**

 **Until Next Time! I count you all in my blessings.**

 **Lots of love,**

 **Holly, 11/21/2015_**


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